The High School Titans, Part 2
by Sirius Blaak
Summary: Sequel to the High School Titans. In this part, the romance gets more serious, the family life gets more screwed up, and... there's a crazy obsessive maniac running around with a gun? pairings used: BBRae, RobStar, CyBee, FlashJinx, AquaKole
1. The Unhappy Beginning

**The High School Titans, Part 2**

_A/N: Welcome back to the tales of our dear high school Titans! Part 2 picks up almost exactly where part 1 ended, so if you can't remember what happened, here's a recap:_

_The kids were at Jinx's house for the party after homecoming. They acted super crazy and pretty much everyone paired off. Then people's parents came to pick them up. Raven and Garfield had a private word in the basement, where Gar asked Raven to be his girlfriend. Everyone go aww…_

_This story starts the morning after the party. Raven, Kori, and Bea all slept over Jinx's house, and (I wonder if you remember this) Raven's dad was kinda ticked that she was going to a party. So she promised to be home at 9 in the morning. Let's see how that turns out…_

_**PS. This is the chapter where all the fun angst starts… (sarcasm)**_

* * *

Raven awoke on Sunday morning to the sun streaming through Jinx's bedroom window. She stretched and yawned, feeling the smooth sleeping bag material against her feet. She opened her eyes into a squint; the sunlight was streaming right into her eyes.

Jinx's alarm clock, which went off every hour, louder during the day and quieter at night, began beeping. Raven frowned. It was an awfully loud beep for the morning.

Still squinting, Raven extracted herself from her sleeping bag and walked over to look at the clock. It read, '11:00'

"Oh no!" Raven whispered, for everyone else was still sleeping. "I knew I shouldn't have stayed up until three in the morning talking! I'm gonna be in so much trouble!"

She hastily located her overnight bag, and, without even bothering to change out of her pajamas, she stuffed her sleeping bag into her bag. She strained with all her might to zip it shut, and, having finally succeeded, she grabbed it by the handles and dashed down the stairs and out the door, just barely remembering to put shoes on.

Raven dashed across the street, ignoring the fact that she must look strange wearing pajamas and running across the street, but she knew that that were nothing compared to what could happen inside her own house.

Feeling slightly relieved at the fact that the door was unlocked, Raven turned the handle and entered her house. She began sprinting up the stairs. Maybe, if she was lucky, her father had not noticed that she was not home yet, and if she could just get to her room…

"Raven!"

She froze halfway up the stairs. She set her bag down carefully and began walking back down the stairs and into the kitchen where her father sat.

"Yes?" she asked, barely daring to look up into his face.

Her father, Talmon, wore a nasty frown on his face. Raven was used to these frowns; she was on the receiving end of one of them every day. But this time his eyes were colder and more distant than they had ever been, and his eyebrows were furrowed even lower and closer together on his brow.

"What do you mean by coming back this time of day?" his voice was calm, but Raven knew that he was just saving his energy for when he was ready to scream at her. "I remember you telling me that you would be home by nine o'clock."

"I'm sorry," Raven hung her head. She would not usually be so docile, but as she was still rather sleepy, and she wanted to keep her father in as good a mood as possible, she decided that the less arguing she did the better.

"Well, unfortunately, Raven, 'sorry' won't save you," he said in the same calm voice.

"Save me?" Raven asked timidly. "From what?"

She had barely uttered that sentence when her father slapped her across the face. She was so surprised by this action that she did not even cry out. She simply placed a hand up to her cheek, where she knew a red handprint was surely forming. She backed away, her head slightly bowed.

But Talmon was not finished with her. He stood up and advanced upon her, his eyes boring into her like daggers. He slapped her across the face again, this time sending her crashing to the floor.

_'Please let Mom be home,'_ Raven thought desperately. _'Please.'_ Talmon hit his daughter again, this time with such force that she was knocked out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

"Please, stop," Raven whimpered, holding up her hands as she crouched on the ground. "Please." Her mother had obviously gone to church that morning as she normally did, and since Raven had not come home in time for mass, she had gone without her.

Ignoring Raven's pleas, Talmon struck her again. Tears were soon streaming down her face, stinging the cuts that had grazed her cheeks. Large, dark spots of blood had formed on her pajamas, and she collapsed to the floor, shaking.

Talmon kicked her shaking form, then, as if nothing had happened, turned to go back into the kitchen.

"I hope you're happy," Talmon said in a calm yet menacing voice. "You deserved that."

"No," Raven's voice was hoarse. The instant she said it, she regretted it. Talmon turned, his anger blazing.

"No?" he shouted. "Was that not enough for you?"

Limbs shaking, Raven stood. She placed one hand on the wall to steady herself.

"No," she said firmly, despite the tears that still streamed down her face. "I did nothing to deserve that. Neither did Mom. She deserves better than what you've given her. She deserves a man who will treat her like a goddess, not a punching bag."

Talmon advanced on Raven again, but before he could strike her, Raven kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. She had not taken off her shoes, so the hard material collided with Talmon's bone. He stumbled, but kept walking.

Not wanting to stick around to see what he would do to her, Raven ran for it.

She ran out the door, and made to go back to Jinx's house, but stopped. Jinx's family all went to the same church service that she and her mom did. Jinx's parents and little sister had most likely gone to mass and left the house occupied only by sleeping girls. Raven turned, knowing that Jinx's house would not be safe.

Raven began limping as she kept running. Talmon had never before raised a hand against her. He had abused her verbally, kept her locked in the house for days at a time, and struck Angela if she tried to intervene, but he had never hit Raven before.

One of her neighbors, Mr. Rodriguez, was outside watering his garden. He was a rather short and pudgy middle-aged man with a bald spot in the middle of his head. He was an immigrant from Mexico, as was his wife Gloria, and the two of them had always been kind neighbors. Raven hurried over to him, praying that he would help.

"Please, Mr. Rodriguez, I need help," Raven panted as she limped into his driveway. Mr. Rodriguez looked startled, but, seeing her limping, immediately dropped his watering can and rushed over to her.

"Dear me, Raven!" he exclaimed in a heavy Spanish accent. "What has happened to you?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "Please, come inside. My wife and I will help you."

"Thank you so much," Raven said in barely more than a whisper. She looked behind her, expecting to see her father standing there, but, to her relief, the street was deserted.


	2. Tragedy

_Wow, I can't believe how many people reviewed for the first chapter! A big thanks goes out to everyone who did. This chapter's a little...strange. It was kind of a filler-like thing I wrote to explain what happened between the end of the last chapter and when Angela finds out what happens. Also, if you think you hated me after the last chapter, you will loathe me with ever fiber of your being after this one._

_Here it is: I do not own the Teen Titans, but, just like everyone else, I wish I did SO BADLY! _:)

* * *

"Gloria!" Mr. Rodriguez called as he helped Raven into his house. "Gloria, come here! Our neighbor Raven needs help!"

Mrs. Gloria Rodriguez came bustling into view. Like her husband, she was short and plump, but she looked younger. She was almost always baking Mexican delicacies, which had her wearing floral patterned aprons almost constantly, and today was no exception.

"Raven, dear," she smiled. "What brings you to –" She gasped as she came close enough to see Raven's condition. "Goodness me!" she exclaimed. "Raven, dear, what happened?" She motioned for her husband to follow her back into the kitchen.

"It was my…" Raven trailed away. Her voice was still weak from shock, but she could not understand why she was unable to tell her neighbors what had happened. She tried again. "He…he…" But she still could not.

Mrs. Rodriguez helped her into a chair gently and quickly located a first aid kit.

"What is it, dear?" her voice was persistent, yet still kind and gentle. "Don't be afraid. You can tell us." She placed the first aid kit down on the table and opened it.

"I…I…" Raven tried again, but she somehow could not tell them what had happened. Mrs. Rodriguez clucked sympathetically as she began tending to the cuts on Raven's face. "It was my…" she took a deep breath, "father."

Mrs. Rodriguez dropped the bandage she was holding and clutched her heart, while the mister's jaw dropped.

"Your father did this to you?" Mrs. Rodriguez's voice was hushed. Raven nodded. "Esteban," Mrs. Rodriguez turned to her husband. "Find our camera."

"Of course," Mr. Rodriguez, understanding instantly, hurried out of the room.

"I'm very sorry, dear, but we must have records of what your father has done," Mrs. Rodriguez said in a gentle voice. "Your mother will certainly wish to remove you from the same house he is in."

"I understand," Raven whispered. She barely noticed when Mr. Rodriguez returned with the camera and was pushed out of the room by his wife. She only came to her senses when Mrs. Rodriguez began speaking to her once more.

"Dear, I need to know where to take these pictures," she said sympathetically.

Raven wordlessly put one hand up to her face and the other on her stomach. Mrs. Rodriguez quickly took the pictures, then tended to the rest of Raven's wounds.

"Would you like me to call your mother?" Mrs. Rodriguez asked, putting an arm around Raven's shoulders. She nodded. "Where is she?"

Raven opened her mouth to say, "Church," but no words came out. She put a hand to her throat, and her eyes widened in fear and shock. She began struggling with herself, willing herself to speak.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could not.

"Are you all right, dear?" Mrs. Rodriguez bent down so she was eye level with Raven. Raven shook her head, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her breathing came fast and irregular, and she was scared. Why couldn't she speak?

"Oh dear," Mrs. Rodriguez put a hand to her mouth in shock. She walked over to the counter and quickly located a piece of paper and pencil. She handed them to Raven. "Just write down where your mother is." Her eyes were full of pity.

Raven quickly wrote down the phone number of the church, which she knew by heart because of all the times she and Jinx had stayed after mass for religious projects and had had to give the number to their parents.

Mrs. Rodriguez nodded, took the piece of paper from Raven, and began dialing the number on her phone.

Raven did not listen to the phone conversation. She kept trying to force words out of her mouth, trying to say something, anything, but nothing would come out. She began crying in her frustration, tears streaming down her face and tickling her as they landed on her neck.

Mrs. Rodriguez was on the phone for five minutes before she hung up, turned to Raven, and said, "Your mother's on her way."

Raven nodded, and wiped the tears out of her eyes.

"Come here, dear," Mrs. Rodriguez pulled her into a hug. Raven could smell the spices on her apron from years of cooking, and she filled herself with the scent, hoping that maybe if she was surrounded by something comforting, she might be able to speak again.

Mrs. Rodriguez released her, and looked at her pajamas.

"We ought to get you out of those," She frowned. "You won't mind wearing a boy's clothing, will you? My twins, Fidel and Javier, are about the same size as you are." _(Fee-dell and Hav-ee-air)_

Raven nodded. She had forgotten that Mrs. Rodriguez had twin boys. She followed her wordlessly up the stairs, wincing at the pain walking gave her.

"Fidel! Javier!" Mrs. Rodriguez knocked on the second door in the hallway.

"¿Qué?" two voices asked. Raven knew that this meant 'what' in Spanish.

"Come here, please," she ordered with a rather impatient tone. Two boys came out of the room quickly. Both were only an inch taller than Raven.

"¡Buenos dias, Mama!" they said together. Then, catching sight of Raven, they added, "¡Hola señiorita Raven!" Raven noticed that both of them saw and stared at the blood on her pajamas. She looked away, embarrassed.

"Boys, Raven needs to borrow some clothes," Mrs. Rodriguez said.

"I'll get something," Javier spoke in English this time. He disappeared into the room while Fidel remained standing in the hallway.

Javier returned after only a few seconds, carrying a pair of jeans and a simple blue long-sleeved shirt.

"Thank you," Mrs. Rodriguez motioned for him to give them to Raven. She took them wordlessly, and gave Javier a small smile, making his face turn pink.

"Here is the bathroom, Raven," Mrs. Rodriguez steered her into the messy bathroom. Raven nodded and stepped into the room. Mrs. Rodriguez closed the door for her, and Raven heard her say, "All right, boys, you may go back to whatever you were doing. Just leave Raven alone."

Raven changed quickly. Javier's clothes fit her almost perfectly, but although they were the right size, they just did not fit. It was not the fact that they were boy's clothes either. They just did not seem right.

_'Nothing feels right anymore,'_ Raven thought as tears began flowing down her cheeks again. _'None of this was supposed to happen. Not after last night. After last night, everything was supposed to be perfect.'_

Raven tried to recall how she had felt last night with her friends, desperate for anything that might allow her to speak again, but nothing helped. She found, with a shock of horror, that she could no longer recall the warmth she had felt while Garfield had held her. All she could remember was a cold, lonely feeling.

She left the bathroom, holding her pajamas weakly in her left hand, trying to stop her tears with her right. She noticed that Javier was looking at her from behind the half-closed door of his and Fidel's room. He jumped as he noticed she was looking at him.

Javier walked out of his room and over to her.

"Please do not cry, Señiorita Raven," he gently wiped a tear off her face. This only made Raven's tears fall faster.

"May I comfort you, Señiorita?" Javier asked politely. Raven looked up at him, and saw the genuine concern in his eyes. Taking that as a yes, Javier put an arm around her shoulders.

"I do not know what had happened, Señiorita," Javier said softly, "but what I do know is that you are hurt, both inside and out. I must let you know that Fidel and I will help you if ever you need anything."

Raven nodded, and mouthed, 'Thank you.' Javier smiled encouragingly at her.

"Raven, dear!" Mrs. Rodriguez came up the stairs, and, seeing her son with his arm around Raven, stopped, but smiled softly. "Your mother is here."

Raven gave Javier a small smile, and followed Mrs. Rodriguez down the stairs to where her mother was standing.

_A/N: No, he doesn't like her, so don't worry. He's just never talked to a girl before because he and Fidel are both home-schooled._

_PS. I totally just made that home-schooled thing up…_


	3. The Scary Phone Conversation

_This chapter has a bit from Jinx's point of view. It's a new POV for me, so I hope I didn't mess her up too badly. _:)_ Recently I've been plagued by writer's block for this story, so it'll probably take a while for the rest of the story to be posted. Don't worry, I will finish it. I could never be so evil that I would delete a story; I'm totally against that. I've just been having a brainburst for some other things, so don't worry if it takes a while._

* * *

"Raven!" Angela shrieked as her daughter limped down the stairs towards her. Although she was no longer wearing bloodstained pajamas, some extent of Raven's injuries could still be seen; she still walked with a limp, the cuts on her face were still visible, and her left wrist had been wrapped by Mrs. Rodriguez.

Raven dropped the pajamas she had been holding, walked as fast as her leg would allow her and flung herself into her mother's arms. Mother and daughter stood in an embrace for a long time, both with silent tears dripping down their cheeks.

"What happened?" Angela asked as soon as the two broke apart. Raven mouthed wordlessly, and looked around to where Mrs. Rodriguez, recently joined by the mister, was standing.

"She came limping up to Esteban this morning," Mrs. Rodriguez took the nonverbal hint Raven had given her. "I took care of her wounds and have pictures of them in the camera because she said her father did this to her."

"Talmon?" Angela's eyes snapped back on Raven. "Talmon did this to you?"

Raven nodded, and Angela began crying once more.

"This is all my fault," she sobbed. "I thought you were safe from him. I never thought he would touch you. I should have realized the risk I was taking when he hit me. Oh, why did I ignore it?" She clutched her daughter's shoulders and began crying into them.

"There, there, Angela," Mrs. Rodriguez handed her a tissue and patted her back softly. "This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is," Angela blew her nose loudly. "I should have left him when he first hit me, but I stayed. I thought I could shake it out of him. I thought he would change, and now look what he's done!" She hugged her daughter again. "Oh, Raven, I'm so sorry!"

Raven opened and closed her mouth, feeling much like a fish out of water. How she wanted to speak words of comfort to her mother, to let her know that she would be all right! If only she could let her know that this was not her fault!

- - - -

Jinx awoke at 11:15, feeling rather groggy yet well rested. She straightened up, yawning, and gasped.

"Raven?" she asked, noticing that Raven was not only not in her sleeping bag, but there was not trace of her anywhere. The only thing left from her overnight stay was her small stuffed elephant, Mr. Trunkie.

"Raven?" she asked again, this time stirring both Kori and Bea from their sleep. "Have either of you seen Raven?"

"I just woke up," Kori said sleepily. Bea shook her head through a yawn.

"Raven's missing!" Jinx exclaimed, quickly picking up Mr. Trunkie and holding him close to her chest. She began pacing.

"Where could she have gone?" Kori wondered aloud.

"Maybe she went home," Bea shrugged. "She lives right across the street, right?"

"Yes!" Jinx paused her pacing for a moment. "Raven was supposed to be home by nine in the morning. Maybe she left then and didn't want to wake us up!" Jinx tried to feel satisfied with this solution, but the gnawing feeling of dread was creeping up on her. Raven wouldn't have forgotten Mr. Trunkie unless she had been in a real hurry.

Trying to push these thoughts out of her head, Jinx grabbed the phone that was next to her alarm clock and dialed Raven's number.

"Hello?" Jinx recognized this voice as Raven's father.

"Hi, Sir, I'm Jen, Raven's friend," Jinx paused, waiting for some kind of reaction. Getting none, she continued, "I was just wondering, is she home right now?"

"Nah," Raven's dad said gruffly.

"Well, do you know where she is?" Jinx asked, a knot forming in her stomach painfully.

"Yeah, I know where she is," Raven's father said. Jinx began to relax. "But I ain't telling you."

"Well, is she all right?" Jinx asked hesitantly, clutching Mr. Trunkie tighter.

"You better hope she's not," Raven's father let out a maniacal laugh. "You'd better hope she's the opposite of okay." With a last laugh, he hung up.

"Oh my gosh," Jinx hung up the phone, feeling tears come to her eyes.

"What is it, Jinx?" Kori came over and put an arm around her.

"I just spoke to Raven's dad," Jinx felt the tears overflow her eyes and begin streaming down her face. "You don't know this, and I was told not to tell anyone, but oh well. Raven's dad wanted her to be home by nine this morning, and he gets really mad if she doesn't do what he tells her to. So when I asked him about her and if she was okay, he said," Jinx sniffed loudly, "that I'd better hope she's not okay."

Kori tightened her grip on Jinx's shoulders.

"Don't worry Jinx," Bea tried to sound reassuring. "We'll find her."

"Yeah, someone's bound to have seen her," Kori reasoned. "Why don't you call the neighbors while Bea and I keep an eye on Raven's house, just in case she is there and is just grounded or something."

"Okay," Jinx wiped her eyes. The three girls headed down to the kitchen, and Jinx started rummaging through the drawer that held the telephone books, looking for the neighborhood one. She quickly found it, and began to dial.

_'Please let Raven be okay,' _Jinx thought desperately as the phone began to ring. _'She's my best friend. I don't know what I'd do if she's not all right.'_

- - - -

The telephone in the kitchen of the Rodriguez house rang. Mrs. Rodriguez hurried into the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?" she said at first. "Oh yes!" She paused. "Yes, she's quite all right." Another pause. "You'd like to speak to her? Well, let me get her for you." She placed the phone down on the counter and came into the living room, where Raven and Angela were both sitting on the couch, both frozen in shock.

"Raven?" she said kindly. Raven looked up. "Your friend Jen is on the phone. Would you like to speak to her?"

Raven's eyes welled up with tears again, and she nodded. She looked at Angela for help, pointing at her mouth.

"I'll get this one for you, shall I?" Angela asked. Raven nodded, and followed her mother into the kitchen. Angela picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Angela said. "Yes, this is she." She paused. "Now, Jen, this is going to be very hard for you to understand, but you need to listen. Raven's father b-beat her." Angela's voice shook as she spoke, but she remained calm. "I know, sweetie. But you must listen to me. Raven is so overwhelmed by the shock that she can't speak." She paused. "Oh, Jen, please don't cry." She paused, then turned to Raven, putting a hand over the receiver. "She wants to know if she can come over and see you."

Raven nodded. Angela uncovered the receiver and began speaking again.

"Jen? Yes, she would like to see you." She paused again, and turned back to Raven. "Apparently some friends are still at her house. Kori and Bea. She wants to know if you'd like to see them too." Raven shook her head.

"She would just like to see you, Jen. Maybe you could have them call their parents and wait with them until they leave?" She paused. "All right. Great."

Raven hastily took a pencil and a piece of paper into her hands and wrote, _'Tell Jinx not to go crazy.'_ This she pushed towards her mother.

"Oh, and Jen," Angela saw the note, and began speaking once more. "Raven says 'Don't go crazy.'" She paused. "All right. Good bye." She hung up the phone.

Raven hugged Angela again, and the two walked back into the living room.


	4. Jinx Flips

_Sorry, guys, this one's really short. I'm working on chapter six now, so that one should be longer. But my writers block is still plaguing me, so don't expect anything else too soon. I'm doing my best! All those awesome reviews have motivated me. _:)

* * *

The doorbell rang, and Javier ran to answer it. Raven and Angela looked toward the door to see Jinx come running into the room. She flung her arms around Raven, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed quickly. "If only I'd remembered to set my alarm clock for nine last night! This is all my fault!" Raven patted her friend on the back, wishing now more than ever that she could speak. Angela nudged the two girls, and they broke apart. She handed Raven a notepad and a pencil.

Raven nodded to her mother as a thank-you, and then wrote, _'It's not your fault, Jinx. Don't go blaming yourself. It's no one's fault but his.'_

Jinx gave her a watery smile.

"I don't know what I would have done if you weren't okay," Jinx said as another tear rolled down her cheek. "When I spoke to your father, he sounded so…so scary!"

"Wait a moment," Angela interjected. Jinx and Raven turned to look at her. "You spoke to Talmon?"

"Yeah," Jinx said. "I called him after I woke up and Raven wasn't there. I wanted to make sure she had gotten home safely."

"What did he say?" Angela asked.

"He sounded really mad," Jinx shuddered. "I asked him if you were home, and he said no. So then I asked if he knew where you were, and he said he did but he wasn't going to tell me where. So then I simply asked if you were all right and he…" Jinx trailed away as a fresh wave of tears came over her. Raven hugged her, clutching her in a strong, supportive embrace.

"Thanks, Rae," Jinx smiled weakly. "So when I asked if you were all right, he said that I'd better hope you were the opposite of okay. I was so scared!"

Raven pulled her friend into a hug again. Jinx cried into her shoulder for about a minute before pulling away.

"I'm sorry," She apologized again. "I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around."

"She's a very brave girl," Angela took her daughter's hand and squeezed it. Raven felt tears well up in her eyes again, and blinked furiously, trying to stop crying.

"Is there anyone you'd like me to call?" Jinx asked Raven. She shook her head and tried to smile.

Jinx also attempted a smile, but her expression remained grim. Then, as if caught by a sudden thought, she reached into the small bag she had brought with her, and pulled out Mr. Trunkie.

"You left him at my house," Jinx explained, handing the stuffed elephant to Raven.

Raven took the elephant from her and held it with one hand while she wrote, _'Thanks,'_ with the other. Jinx smiled.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Jinx asked, looking this time at Angela, but Mrs. Rodriguez had heard this and she stepped into the room.

"You two are welcome to stay here with us," she offered. "We have a guest room that the two of you may find comfortable."

"Thank you, Gloria," Angela said gratefully. "That would be a big help to us."

"Mi casa es su casa," Mrs. Rodriguez said with a small smile. She continued, switching back to English. "If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," Angela repeated, and Raven held up her notepad, on which the word 'Thanks' was written. A beep came from the kitchen, and Mrs. Rodriguez hurried out, most likely to check on whatever she was cooking.

"I'm afraid we'll be pushing their hospitality a bit too much," Angela sighed. "We can't go home if he's there, and you'll have to stay somewhere while I go to work."

_'What do you mean?'_ Raven wrote, a frown of confusion on her face.

"Well, you obviously can't go to school like this," Angela said firmly, "and you'll need somewhere to stay."

_'But Mom, I wanna go to school,'_ Raven wrote. _'Staying some place alone will just make me dwell on stuff like this. Going to school will keep me occupied. And me and Jinx have five classes together! Please let me go to school.'_

"But Raven, school is tomorrow!" Her mother argued. "I don't think you'll be ready to go back."

_'I will be, I promise!' _Raven continued writing in a fast scribble.

"I'll think about it, Raven," Angela said this so firmly that Raven was sure that she would say no. She felt her already low spirits sink another notch.

This must have shown on her face, for Angela pulled her into a hug and said, "Since it means that much to you, I'll allow it, even though I'm going against my parental judgment."

After she was released from her mother's hug, Raven pointed to the spot where she had written 'thanks.'


	5. First Day Back

_Wow, this chapter took a while. Sorry about that._

_I don't own Teen Titans, but if I did, I would not have made Terra come back in "Things Change." That was just lame. I'm sorry, but I'm in a Cartoon Network bashing mood right now. (Although I did hear they might pass the sixth season. Still trying to verify that..._

* * *

Raven woke the next morning to the beeping of a strange alarm clock. After turning it off, it took her a full minute to remember why she was in a strange room, but as soon as she remembered, her pain came back. 

She felt her stomach seize up and the cuts on her face throb. Her wrist was asleep, and Raven massaged it while still lying down, trying to wake it up. After accomplishing this feat, she sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in her stomach. She stood up, only to be reminded that her leg had been damaged by the way she felt off balance.

She sighed softly, for she did not want to wake her mother, who was sleeping in the bed next to hers. She bent down on the ground, her face screwed up from the pain, and tried to find some clothes from a duffel bag in the darkness.

Her mother had gone out the day before and bought new clothes for Raven and herself; no one had wanted to brave going into their house to get anything. Raven gave up her dark search and instead picked up the entire bag and carried it into the small bathroom that was adjacent to the guest bedroom.

She switched on the light, now squinting because of the brightness. Once her eyes had gotten used to the light, she washed herself up and changed into her clothes. Raven turned out the light before she exited the bathroom, as she did not want to wake her mother just yet.

She dropped the bag back where it had been and went over to where her mother was still sleeping. She pushed her lightly, knowing that Angela would want to wake up soon.

"What time is it?" Angela said groggily as she sat up. Raven turned the clock so Angela could see it. "Time to get up and at 'em!" She swung herself out of bed and gave Raven a hug.

"You go downstairs and eat something while I wash up," she instructed firmly. "I'll drive you to school." Raven nodded, although she was not sure her mom could see. Stopping only to pick up a notebook and a pencil, Raven walked out of the guest bedroom and down into the kitchen.

Mr. Rodriguez was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. A plastic blue plate stacked with toast was in front of him. Hearing Raven's footsteps, he put down his newspaper.

"Good morning," he said kindly. "Did you sleep well?"

Raven nodded.

"Help yourself to some toast," he pushed the plate towards her, "and have a seat." Raven sat down, put her notebook beside her, and took a piece of toast from the stack.

"Would you like anything on it?" Mr. Rodriguez motioned to the jam jar that was next to the toast. Raven shook her head. Then, glad she had remembered this, placed the tips of her right hand fingers on her chin, then brought them down so that her arm made a ninety degree angle. This was sign language for 'Thank you.'

"Ah, sign language for thank you," Mr. Rodriguez understood instantly. "I remember that when I first learned English, we learned sign language as well. I guess they hoped that if we forgot how to say something we would have the signs for it." He chuckled. Raven smiled politely and took a small bite out of her toast.

"Good morning, Raven," Mrs. Rodriguez came into the kitchen, already wearing an apron. "Did you sleep all right last night?" Raven nodded once more. "Excellent. Here, I made you a nice lunch for school." She placed a brown paper bag on the table next to Raven's notebook. "Now, I must go wake up the boys. Those two were up late again last night, mark my words."

Raven heard her walk quickly up the stairs and start waking up Javier and Fidel. She smiled, amused, as she heard the two boys start complaining in Spanish.

When Raven had finished her toast, Angela came into the room.

_'I just need to brush my teeth,'_ Raven wrote.

Angela nodded, and Raven hurried back up the stairs and into the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, she could hear Fidel, Javier, and Mrs. Rodriguez speaking in very fast Spanish. Although her understanding of the language was not very great, Raven was able to figure out that they were both still in bed, and neither wanted to get up.

'_Well, duh_,' she thought. '_Anyone could have figured that out_.'

She finished brushing her teeth quickly, located a sweatshirt from the bag of clothes, and walked back downstairs. Her notebook and lunch were still on the table, so she picked up her notebook and wrote, _'Can you drive Jinx to school too?'_ and gave it to her mother.

"Of course, dear," Angela said, smiling. "She's probably awake and ready. I'll call her. You go into the car."

Raven nodded, picked up her notebook and lunch, and headed out the front door. Angela's car was parked in the driveway. Raven opened the back door and slid into the seat. It felt strange to be going to school with no backpack or homework. She felt a sudden cold feeling grip her, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

She wiped it away angrily. Why was she crying now? She was going to be with friends at school.

Seeing her mother approach the car, Raven hastily hid her face. She did not want her mom to see her crying.

"Jen says she'll be waiting for at the door," Angela slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. She backed out of the driveway and into the street, and drove three houses down to stop at Jinx's.

Jinx came out of the house five seconds after the car had parked there, and came into the backseat with Raven. She smiled encouragingly as Raven turned on the overhead light so Jinx could see what she was going to write.

_'How are you?'_ she wrote, her handwriting messy since the car was moving.

"I'm doing all right," Jinx said softly. "What about you?"

_'Could be better,'_ Raven wrote truthfully.

"I figured as much," Jinx said unhappily. "Anyway, I was on IM with some of our homecoming group last night. We all decided that we'd meet in one of the rooms before first period. Does that sound okay to you?"

_'Yeah, that sounds good,'_ Raven wrote. _'Which room?'_

"Room 63," Jinx answers quickly. "It's a math room." Raven nodded.

_'Jinx, will you be able to tell everyone what's wrong with me?'_ Raven wrote, feeling tears come to her eyes as she did. _'Mom called my teachers yesterday, so they all know, but none of our friends do.'_

"Of course I will," Jinx said, hugging Raven supportively. "Is there anyone specific you need me to tell or anything like that?"

_'Anyone that asks.'_

"All right. Is there anyone you don't want me to tell?"

_'Anyone who doesn't notice.'_ Jinx smiled.

"Of course."

The rest of the trip to school was in silence, as Jinx and Angela both had nothing more to say, and Raven did not have anything more to write. Angela pulled her car in front of the school's main entrance and unlocked the doors.

"Now Raven, if you don't feel right, then please call and I will come get you, all right?" Angela said in a voice that was almost pleading. Raven nodded.

She and Jinx exited the car and began to walk into school, both turning and waving twice. Angela waved back, and drove away. Raven clutched her notebook close to her as she walked into school. Now that she was here, it felt even stranger to have nothing but a notebook and a pencil. She did not even have any of her homework.

"Is there anything in your locker you need?" Jinx asked as they entered the hallway their lockers were in. Raven nodded, and quickly unlocked it. Jinx did the same with her locker, which was right next to Raven's.

Feeling relieved that she had not brought all her books home, Raven took out her Latin, English, and Chemistry books, as well as her History binder. She placed the lunch that Mrs. Rodriguez had made for her on the top shelf of her locker.

"Come on, let's go to room 63," Jinx said. "It sounds like some of the busses just arrived." Jinx was right, as there were people walking noisily through the halls. Raven began breathing rather deep. She had thought she would be fine, but now that there were other people, her nerves were getting the better of her.

The two girls were about to start walking when someone called their names. They turned back, and Raven felt as if her head would explode.

It was Garfield.

He was smiling broadly at the sight of them, his eyes twinkling with happiness. Instead of pausing at his locker, he kept walking so that he was level with where they were standing.

"Hi, Gar," Jinx said.

"How's it going, Jinx?" Garfield asked, holding up a hand for a high five. Jinx slapped it unenthusiastically, but Gar didn't seem to notice as he had already turned his attention on Raven.

His smile softened as he saw her, but soon dropped completely off his face as he kept looking at her. Raven was not smiling; her expression was unhappy and she was fighting not to cry.

"Raven, what's wrong?" he asked, concern in every note of his voice. He dropped his backpack heavily to the floor and hugged her. "Are you all right?" Gar released her, and as his eyes traveled from her face to her left wrist, his eyes widened in shock. "What happened?"

Raven felt tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She looked away from him, ashamed. She wanted so badly to be able to tell him what had happened, but every time she tried to speak, she ended up crying because she was unable to get any words out.

Gar took her uninjured hand in his, and pulled her close to him, holding her tight.

"Raven, you can tell me," he said softly. "I'm here for you."

Raven looked at Jinx for help. Jinx, realizing what she meant, began speaking for her.

"Gar, it's not that Raven doesn't want to tell you," she began slowly. Gar turned so that he was facing Jinx. Raven gently pulled out of his embrace, but he still held her hand. "She can't." Jinx bit her lip. "Raven's dad hurt her, and now she can't talk because of the shock."

Gar looked back at Raven.

"Did he really?" his eyes were pleading with her to yell, "April fools!"

Raven nodded, feeling another tear roll down her cheek. Garfield wiped it away with his free hand.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked. Raven nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Raven," he pulled her into an embrace again. "Just please know that I'm here for you. For anything you need." Raven nodded again, willing her mouth to start working again.

"I really care about you," Gar said softly, stroking her back with the arm that held her. "I really do." Raven looked up into his eyes and smiled. Gar smiled as well, and kissed her forehead.


	6. And now they all know

_OK, this has absolutely nothing to do with the story, but I was looking at a names site to try and find a name for a new character, and found out that Arella means Angel in Hebrew. I thought that was pretty cool. Anyway… onto the story!_

* * *

Raven looked around room 63 uncomfortably. She and Gar were sitting in two chairs close together, and his arm was wrapped protectively around her shoulders. The rest of their friends were all spaced around the room, talking.

The members of the group had all come in one by one, and every one had at first asked Raven what was wrong. She had had Jinx tell everyone that she would tell them all once everyone was there.

Now that everyone was there, Raven was feeling nervous. If it had been hard telling Gar, it was nothing to how she was feeling now. She took a deep breath and nodded to Jinx.

Jinx got everyone to listen, and Raven turned away as she told them what had happened. Gar noticed this action, and he pulled her closer, putting both arms around her and holding her supportively.

Raven did not listen as Jinx told everyone what had happened. She had had to relive it enough in her dreams, and the last thing she wanted to do was relive it here in school. She looked back towards Jinx when the bell that Raven called the 'Get-Your-Butt-Movin' Bell' rang.

Raven gently pulled herself free of Gar's embrace, and headed for the door, pausing only to pick up her notebook. She did not want anyone to say anything about what her father had done. She just wanted to go to her classes and forget everything.

With a jolt of unease, Raven remembered that her first period class was Chorus.

_'Great way to start the day,'_ she thought sarcastically. _'More than any other class, chorus involves singing. And I can't sing. Great.'_

Someone grabbed her elbow, and she turned to see Jinx.

"I guess I'll see you next period," Jinx had a small smile on her face. "We have gym today, right?"

Raven nodded. Jinx waved, and turned down the hallway that led to her English class. Raven kept walking straight; chorus was all the way at the other end of the school.

She reached the classroom earlier than she had wanted or expected to. Only half the class had arrived, and Raven put her pile of books down with a thud by her seat. She sat down, and began searching through her binder for the note her mother had given her.

Finding it, she walked over to Mrs. Pontire with her notebook and pencil, and handed her the note. Mrs. Pontire read it quickly, and Raven watched with unease as her expression softened into one of pity.

"Would you like to go down to the cafeteria for a study hall?" Mrs. Pontire asked as she looked up from the note. "That might be easier for you."

_'No thanks,'_ Raven wrote. _'I really should be working on the music, even if I can't sing, since our concert's soon.'_

"Well, in all my years, never have I met such a dedicated student," Mrs. Pontire smiled. "You may stay, but please let me know if you feel uncomfortable." Raven nodded, and walked back to her seat.

Raven sat next to her friend Toni in Chorus. _(I will give anyone who guesses who Toni is a cookie. Don't ask how; I'll find a way.)_ Toni had dubbed herself and Raven 'chorus buddies,' since chorus was one of the few classes they had together.

"What's wrong?" Toni asked as Raven sat down. Raven hastily scribbled down what had happened to her in her notebook and passed it to Toni.

Toni read what Raven had written quickly, her eyes widening the more she read. When she finished, she looked up and pulled Raven into a hug. Though surprised by this, Raven hugged her back.

"I'm so sorry, Raven," she said when she had released her.

_'It's not that bad,' _Raven wrote. _'I mean, it does suck to not be able to talk, but now I have an excuse to sleep in class.'_ Toni smiled when she read this, but, seemingly struck by a sudden thought, her smile turned down into a frown.

"But what about chorus?" she asked. "I mean, we sing in here. And that's pretty much all we do."

Raven shrugged before writing, _'Mrs. Pontire understands, so it doesn't matter if I don't sing. I mean, it'll definitely feel weird not singing, but I'll live.'_

Toni smiled again before she had to face the piano and sing warm ups.

_'This is when I love sitting farthest from the piano,'_ Raven thought as everyone else began singing. _'No one can see me.'_ She felt her eyes grow watery, and she blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the tears.

- - - -

Garfield couldn't help but feel shaken as he walked into his chemistry class. Everything that he had found out in the last half hour had chilled him to the bone, almost like a horror movie. But this was worse. A horror movie could be switched off if it got too scary; this was real.

He sat down in his seat near the back, and it wasn't very long after that Kori came in and took her seat next to his.

"How're you doing?" she asked him kindly as she sat down.

He turned to look at her, prepared to put on a smile and say, "Fine," but the words wouldn't come out.

"I have no idea," he said, though this wasn't exactly true.

"Yes you do," Kori squeezed his lower arm, which was lying on the desk.

"Guilty," he let his head, which suddenly felt too heavy for his shoulders, fall onto his arms.

"Gar," Kori placed her hand supportively on his shoulder, "don't blame yourself. There's nothing you could have done."

Gar jerked his head up, this sudden movement making Kori's hand fall off his shoulder.

"But what if –" Gar started, but Kori cut him off.

"'But what if' what?" she asked calmly. "There was nothing you could have done. You weren't even in the neighborhood when it happened. There was no way you could have done anything."

"I know," Gar let his head fall again. "I just can't stop thinking up of what I could have done to make sure nothing happened."

"And they all involve you knowing something you know now that you didn't know then, don't they?" Kori asked. "The same questions just started going around in my head. And I was actually in the neighborhood when it happened." She paused for a few seconds before continuing. "But nothing is going to change what did happen. Sure, I could have remembered to set the alarm in my watch. I could have insisted that we all go to sleep instead of talking. But why would I?"

"What?" Gar turned his head so he could look at Star. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why would I stop everyone from having fun and insist we go to sleep? Why would I set my alarm when it didn't matter what time I got up? I had no reason to do these things. The only way I would have done them is if I had known what could have happened the next morning."

Gar straightened up as the bell rang that signaled the beginning of class. The chemistry teacher walked into the room from the laboratory, and began trying to catch everyone's attention.

"Thanks, Kori," he whispered, realizing she had a point. Maybe what she had said would help him through the day.

"Anytime you need me, I'm here for you," she said in an equally quiet voice, smiling before turning her attention to the front of the classroom.

- - - -

_'I hope Raven's all right,'_ Jinx thought as she took her seat in English. _'I mean, she has chorus this period. She won't be able to sing, unless some miracle happens.'_

She watched, bored, as Terra flounced into the room. She was all smiles, and she winked at several people before taking her seat.

_'Well, the witch is back to being a hypocrite,'_ Jinx thought. _'Any other newsflashes?'_ She frowned as Terra took her seat next to Vic and said, "Hey, Vic!" in a cheerful voice.

Jinx was heartened by the fact that Vic did not say anything to Terra. He simply turned the other way, and, seeing her, smiled.

Jinx smiled back at him, and waved.

_'Terra has some nerve,' _Jinx thought, frowning, as Vic turned back the other way and Terra tried to talk to him again. _'After ditching Gar on Saturday, she thinks she can just pop right back into our lives as if nothing's happened? It makes me wonder if she has any common sense at all!'_

Their English teacher, Mrs. Talhok, walked into the classroom. The bell rang a second after she put her papers down on the teacher's desk, and everyone looked up at her.

"We're getting new seats today," Mrs. Talhok said cheerfully. She whipped a piece of paper out of one of her folders. "You all know the drill!"

As one, the class picked up their backpacks, left their seats, and walked to stand along the walls. Mrs. Talhok began walking around the classroom and reading out names.

It took a very short time to get new seats, even though the class was rather large. Jinx was now sitting next to the window and a boy named Fernando. Terra sat in front of her, much to Jinx's disappointment, but Vic sat on the other side of Fernando. _(Yes, I am going somewhere with this Fernando guy, I promise!!)_

Fernando, who was very tall and dressed like he lived in the sixties, smiled at Jinx.

"Hey," he said. "You're Jen, right?"

Even though she had never spoken to Fernando before, Jinx smiled politely and said, "Well, I kind of prefer Jinx, but yeah. And you're Ferna–"

"Yeah," Fernando cut her off. "But, like you, I prefer a different name. Call me Fang." _(Oooooo, you didn't see that one coming, did you???)_


	7. The Volleyball Duel

_Anyone up for a cat fight-ish gym class? Hopefully you are, because Raven, Jinx, and Terra are going at it with a volleyball! And I apologize to everyone who has read one of my other stories, "You know you love Teen Titans too much when..." Apparently there's a rule in the system's guidelines that says no lists. So I am very very sorry that I broke the rules and got my story deleted. That's why this chapter took so long to post. I lost access to my account because I broke the rules. Sorry guys!_

* * *

"Hey, Raven," Jinx greeted Raven as she entered the locker room. "Did chorus go all right?"

Raven shrugged, and began turning her combination lock so she could change into her gym clothes.

"Raven, why are you changing?" Jinx asked as Raven opened her locker and pulled out the bright yellow shirt that all students had to wear for gym. "I though Mom gave you an excuse note."

Raven held up one finger, meaning that she'd explain in a minute, and quickly changed into her gym clothes. The bandage that was around her wrist was showing, as the shirt was short sleeved.

_'I don't want to sit out during gym class,' _Raven wrote. _'It'll just draw attention to the fact that I'm not all right. I threw away Mom's note to Mr. Lonng. Gym class doesn't involve much talking anyway.'_

"But Raven, you were limping!" Jinx tried to reason with her. "And you still have a bandage on your wrist!" As she said this, Raven began unwrapping the bandage. Her wrist had a large purple bruise all around it, looking somewhat like a bracelet. She threw it into her gym locker, and walked out of the locker room, her mouth set in a determined line.

The determined line opened into a gaping hole as she realized what unit they were about to start in gym.

Volleyball nets had been set up in the gym. There was a large box of balls in a corner, and some of the students were already throwing them around.

"Want me to tell Mr. Lonng?" Raven turned around to see Jinx behind her. She shook her head no, but her mind screamed, "Yes!" She took a deep breath, and walked over to where the rest of the class had assembled, waiting for instructions.

Mr. Lonng waved his hands, motioning for everyone to sit down. Raven and Jinx sat at the back of the group. Mr. Lonng waited for a moment, then began giving out instructions.

"Everyone is to partner up," he called, his loud voice booming around the large gym. "Then everyone will practice the different volleyball passes." His eyes traveled around the group, before resting on Roy. "Roy, would you like to demonstrate?"

"Sure," Roy stood up. Mr. Lonng picked out a ball from the box, and he and Roy walked over to an empty part of the gym. They demonstrated how to do a forearm pass, an overhead pass, and how to serve.

"All right, everyone, pair up and start working!" Mr. Lonng threw the ball to Roy.

After picking out a ball, Raven and Jinx went to the far end of the gym, where people were least likely to see them. Raven threw the ball to Jinx, and Jinx returned it with a near perfect forearm pass. Raven threw it again, and Jinx pulled off another spectacular pass.

"Hey, girls," a voice said. The two looked over to see Terra standing with a hand on her hip, a smug smile playing about her lips. Raven almost automatically put her right hand over the bruise on her left wrist, the volleyball tucked under her arm. "We have an odd number in the class. Mind if I work with you two?"

"And you can't work with someone else because…?" Jinx asked sarcastically.

"Because everyone else is either too good or are afraid of the ball," Terra simpered, shrugging her shoulders.

_'And you're not afraid of the ball?'_ Raven thought, still clasping her wrist in her hand.

Jinx made eye contact with Raven, and both of them rolled their eyes.

"Fine," Jinx said. Raven threw the ball to her again, and this time, instead of aiming back at Raven, Jinx aimed her pass towards Terra.

Terra put her hands over her head defensively as the ball fell to the ground beside her. Raven smiled as she covered her wrist with her hand again.

"I wasn't ready for that," Terra frowned. She picked the ball up and threw it hard at Jinx.

Jinx, however, was ready for the ball. She knelt down and passed it to Raven with perfect aim. Raven let go of her wrist, and, not reacting fast enough to pass the ball back, simply caught it and smiled.

"You two must think you're so clever," Terra scowled. "I could do that if I wanted to, Jinx."

In answer to this comment, Raven threw the ball at Terra. Terra wasn't ready for this either, and the ball hit her in the stomach. Terra kicked the ball back towards Raven as it fell to the floor.

Terra's eyes narrowed as she looked back at Raven, and she smiled meanly.

"Nice bracelet," she glanced at Raven's left wrist. "Was it a present from your daddy?"

Raven's blood boiled. She wanted nothing more than to yell at Terra, or, even better, hit her. How had she found out?

Almost as if she had read Raven's mind, Jinx asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"What do _I_ mean?" Terra laughed. "If anything, I should be asking you what you mean. I heard the story. Rocket and I were walking past that math room when your little pow wow was going on. We decided to listen in on some campfire stories." She laughed again. "Let me tell you, I was glad we stuck around. So, Raven, you can't talk? Well, that's too bad. You won't be able to say anything when I tell you this…"

Outside the gym, a large bunch of noisy freshmen biology students walked by the doorway. One of them laughed loudly at a joke someone else had told, and a teacher was shushing them, perhaps adding even more noise to the throng.

Terra smirked as Raven balled her hands into fists.

_'How dare she say that about me!'_ Raven thought, willing her thoughts to come out into words. _'How dare she insult Gar and Jinx! Speak, Raven! Speak!'_

But nothing came out. She looked over at Jinx, who looked equally as mad.

"So that's what you think of me and Raven and Gar?" Jinx was fighting to keep her voice down. "Well, if I could sink to your level and let you know exactly what our 'pow wow' thinks of you, I would. But there's something in this world called manners, that I seem to have and you obviously don't." She turned back to Raven. "Come on, let's keep working on our passes. Maybe if we get good enough, we'll be able to hit a certain someone on the head and make it look like an accident."

Raven picked up the ball, and she threw it over to Jinx. Jinx passed it back, and, instead of catching it, Raven passed it back. The ball hit her wrist, but Raven only grimaced and set up her aim for Jinx's next pass.

"Good form, girls," Mr. Lonng complimented as he came over to their spot in the gym. "Very good. Now, Terra, let's see you try."

Jinx and Raven exchanged evil smiles, and Jinx, who had the ball, threw it to Terra, at the perfect height for a forearm pass. Terra fumbled with her arms and attempted to pass it, but the ball bounced lightly off her fist and hit the floor. Jinx picked it up.

"The ball's your friend," Mr. Lonng smiled. "Think of it as a Snickers bar. You can never let it hit the ground."

"But there's a five second rule concerning food," Jinx muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Raven smiled.

Mr. Lonng clapped Terra on the back and walked over to another pair of girls, who were having trouble throwing the ball.

"You made me mess up on purpose," Terra scowled at them again.

"No I didn't," Jinx shrugged. "That was the perfect height for a pass, right Raven?" Raven nodded.

"Oh, sure you did, Jinx," Terra said sarcastically. "I'll have you know that–"

Mr. Lonng whistled shrilly.

"Partners, go to opposite walls and practice serving!"

Jinx and Raven wordlessly went to opposite ends of the gym. Terra followed Raven to her side, obviously concluding that, since Raven was unable to talk, she would be the easier target.

Jinx and Raven made eye contact, and Jinx, who had the ball, served it perfectly over the net. The ball came just the right distance, and Raven caught it easily. She held the ball about two inches above her right fist, and served it back.

The serve was a little wide, but Jinx was able to catch it.

"So, how is Gar?" Terra whispered in Raven's ear. "He didn't cry too much after the dance, did he? Well, I suppose whatever the two of you did cheered him up. So, did the two of you reach home base yet?"

If it was possible, Raven's hatred for Terra doubled when she said that. She frowned as Jinx served the ball back. She stretched out her hands to catch it, but Terra bumped her out of the way, causing her to fall to the floor.

"Whoops," Terra said sarcastically as Raven looked up to see her holding the volleyball under one arm. "Sorry about that one. I guess I wasn't thinking straight. I suppose you weren't either when you became Gar's girlfriend. How much begging on his part did it take?" She laughed, then continued. "Or should I be asking how much begging on your part did it take? Who would ever want to go out with you?"

Raven scowled as Terra attempted to serve the ball back over the net. She clenched her hands into fists as she watched the ball flop to the ground, still on the same side of the net.

Thankfully, Mr. Lonng whistled again, signaling the end of the period. Raven hurried to the other side of the gym where Jinx was standing, obviously waiting for her. Jinx opened her mouth to speak as Raven came over next to her, but Terra's laughter cut her short. Raven turned to see Terra standing, smiling meanly, right behind her.

"That was a fun class!" Terra laughed. "We should definitely be partners again!" She turned sharply and began flouncing over to put the volleyball back.


	8. The Latin Cult

_Happy Birthday Shade Spitfire! Here's an update, just for you. I hope you had a nice birthday and your friends didn't forget about it! (That's happened to me about a hundred times already. And I'm only fifteen...) So don't thank me for updating so quickly, thank your friend Shade Spitfire!_

* * *

Raven, Jinx, and Roy all walked to chemistry together. Raven had re-wrapped her wrist, which was throbbing from the volleyball, but she was glad she had participated in class.

"Raven, you're my hero for taking gym today," Roy said. Jinx had been telling him everything that had happened during the class, and he had immediately reacted with a loud, "What?" He had luckily calmed down afterwards.

The group of three reached chemistry rather quickly, and Raven quickly dropped her pile of books on her desk, which was right next to the door. She hastily pulled out the note Angela had written for her chemistry teacher, Mr. Anticol. It was just her luck that he was not in the room.

_'Figures,'_ she thought. _'Hopefully he'll get here before the bell rings, otherwise I'd have to give him this in front of the entire class.'_

Roy and Jinx came over to her desk.

"You gonna be all right back here?" Jinx asked. "I could always ask to switch seats with someone." Jinx sat all the way at the front of the class, and at the opposite side of the classroom. Raven shook her head as Mr. Anticol walked into the room from the laboratory that was connected to the classroom.

Raven nodded to the front of the classroom, and Jinx and Roy both looked to see Mr. Anticol. Raven began walking up to the front of the class, the note in her hand.

She had made it halfway when the note was snatched out of her hand.

"Oh, what's this, Raven?" Terra asked, waving the note in the air. Not a second later, Roy had grabbed the note back. Raven felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked around to see Jinx standing by her side.

_'How'd you guys get here so fast?'_ Raven thought, willing the message to be telepathically transmitted into both Jinx and Roy's heads.

"Shove off, Terra," Roy handed the note back to Raven. Jinx applied pressure to Raven's shoulder, steering her up to Mr. Anticol as Roy and Terra started a glaring contest.

"Yeah?" Mr. Anticol asked, smiling as the two girls reached the front of the room. Raven wordlessly handed him the note. His eyes flew across the paper, and his smile turned down into a straight line.

"Yeah, I got your mom's call yesterday," he glanced up. "We're just taking notes today, so everything should be fine."

The bell rang just as Mr. Anticol finished his sentence. He quickly added, "And thank you for coming to class." He smiled before he began looking for the overhead he had that day's notes written on.

Raven and Jinx walked back to their desks as the rest of the class took their seats. Jinx reached out and squeezed Raven's upper arm and smiled before heading to her desk. As Raven passed Terra on her way to the back of the classroom, Terra gave her a very dirty look, which Raven returned.

Thankfully, Raven reached the back of the classroom quickly, and sat down at her desk. She pulled out her notebook, and looked up to the front of the class, where Mr. Anticol was beginning to lecture the class about a famous chemist named J. J. Thompson.

- - - -

_Just to let you know, practically everyone has Latin third period. I didn't realize that when I figured out their schedules, so just bear with me. I tried to switch it so that more people had it fifth, but they all seemed to have chemistry that period. So just bear with me while I make a hectic Latin class._

Gar was dragging his feet by the time he reached his third period Latin class. He had already tried to sneak out of homeroom and run to the chorus room to see how Raven was, but since he had double chemistry, that hadn't worked.

He waved unenthusiastically at his group of friends. There was a large bunch of them in this class; it seemed like everyone he knew was taking Latin. They were all sitting in the right hand back corner of the room, talking before class started.

Gar dropped his backpack to the floor next to his desk, which was right in the front and center of the room, before walking to the back of the room to join his friends.

"Hi, Gar," Kori was the first to greet him. She and Robin were both sitting on the back counter. A small smile came to Gar's face as he noticed how Robin kept moving his hand as if to hold Kori's, but then thought better of it at the last second.

"Hey, Kori," He said. Gar then went around their group of friends, saying, "Hi, Vic. Hi, Garth. Hi, Leo. Hi, Toni. And Robin," Gar shook his head slightly as he came to Robin, "you might just want to hold her hand already; your hand looks like it's having convulsions."

This made Robin turn bright pink, and everyone else laugh. Although their laughter was loud, Gar couldn't help but notice that it seemed forced. The laughter died away quickly, and the group fell into silence.

"So, how're you doing, buddy?" Vic asked, breaking the silence and punching Gar's arm lightly. Gar looked into Vic's face, and saw through this innocent question immediately. Robin and Kori both realized what Vic was asking, so Kori quickly asked Garth a question while Robin began talking to Leo.

"Not too good, Vic," Gar admitted as Toni put a hand on his shoulder.

"She did fine in chorus," Toni said softly. "No one even noticed." Gar let out a deep breath that made him slump where he was sitting.

"Thanks goodness," he sighed and closed his eyes.

The late bell rang, jerking Gar's eyes open. He began walking back to his seat, and the rest of the group followed suit.

"Class, we have a new student today," Their teacher, Magistra Klien, stood up at the front of the class. A rather small girl was standing next to her. "Her name is Collette." She turned so she was facing this new girl and said, "Collette, would you like to tell us anything about yourself?"

"No thanks," Collette said, smiling. Magistra pointed to the empty seat next to Gar, and Collette quickly sat down.

"Hi, I'm Garfield, but you can call me Gar." He held out his hand, and Collette shook it.

"I'm Collette," She said, then added, "Duh. But you can call me Kole if you want. And that's spelled with a 'K,' not a 'C,' even though my name does start with one." She continued, seeing his puzzled look. "My friends at my old school named me that because I used to spell my name with a 'K' when I was in preschool."

Magistra Klien captured everyone's attention, and they were soon learning about participles. Gar took notes by instinct, but after five minutes, he realized that he had learned all of this last year and remembered everything. It was obvious by the blank looks of others that they had not, so Gar simply zoned out while the rest of the class learned.

His eyes found their way to the desk next to his where Malchior sat. He was not paying attention either. He seemed to be sketching a church mass, but when Gar looked closer, he realized that it was not a church Malchior was drawing.

There were two people in the picture. They seemed to be inside a cave with paintings on the walls. One of the people was standing at some sort of altar, their arms raised. The other was lying down on the altar, their hands and feet bound.

Finding this extremely creepy, Gar looked away and instead turned his attention back to the front of the class. Magistra had finished going over participles and was erasing the board.


	9. To the Principal's Office

_Here it is! The next chapter! (finally) I'm really sorry I haven't updated. I gave up Teen Titans for Lent, and after that I just got this extreme writer's block that just let up. So now I know how I'm finishing the story and everything!_

* * *

Gar practically ran into his history class. Finally, after three periods of waiting, he had a class with Raven.

He spotted her giving a note to Mr. Funkaa. No doubt it had something to do with her injuries and lack of voice. Mr. Funkaa had a grave expression on his face, and he spoke quietly.

"Gar," a slightly breathless voice came from behind him. He looked around to see Kori smiling.

"Oh, sorry I didn't wait for you," Gar apologized hastily, as he and Kori had both come from Latin.

Kori waved this away, saying, "I couldn't have caught up if I wanted to. You looked like you had an axe murderer on your tail."

Gar smiled and turned back to see Raven walking over to him. As soon as the two were close enough, he pulled her into a hug.

"How're you holding up?" he asked. He felt her shrug and hug him back. The two held each other tight until a familiar laugh broke them apart.

"Well aren't you two cute!" a sarcastic voice said through laughs. Gar let go of Raven and turned to see Terra smiling at them, although the smile didn't quite meet her eyes.

Gar felt an entirely unwelcome sensation in his stomach. It felt as if it was doing gymnastics, and his heart started pounding. It was almost as if he still had feelings for Terra. But how was that possible?

"All right, class, settle down," Mr. Funkaa walked to the front of the classroom just as the late bell rang, and Gar took his seat, which was inconveniently right next to Terra's.

Luckily, the class was presenting their Ancient Egypt projects that day, so Gar had an excuse to ignore Terra. He looked pointedly at the front of the classroom as the first group got up and began explaining the complicated poster they had in front of them.

The presentation lasted about five minutes, and Mr. Funkaa then called Gar and Terra up to the front. Terra bounded up to the front of the classroom, trailing their giant poster behind her. Gar felt another swoop in his stomach, though it had nothing to do with his breakfast wanting to come up.

'_Gar, what are you doing?_' a voice in his head began speaking to him. '_What are you doing up here with _her'

"It's for a grade," he whispered. "I have to do this." He locked his eyes on Raven, and, to his relief, saw that she seemed to have no reaction to the fact that he was up there with Terra.

Their presentation went almost as the partners had planned. Terra spoke about her half at regular speed, but Gar hurried through his, purposely using shorter words and cutting out all his Egypt puns, wanting to sit down as soon as he could.

Their presentation seemed to drag on forever in Gar's view, but luckily forever was not as long as it was rumored to be. Soon he found himself sitting down in his chair once more, his heart beating faster than usual as he watched Terra flick her hair over her shoulder.

'_Well, I guess I've found out what Vic meant when he said that it doesn't sink in for a while,_' Gar thought, looking over to Raven instead. She gave him a small smile, and mouthed, 'Good job.' Gar mouthed 'Thanks,' back.

"So, Gar, how's life?"

Gar started. Terra had abandoned watching the next presentation, and was instead whispering to him.

"What?" he whispered back, completely taken aback by this. Why on Earth was Terra talking to him?

"How's life?" Terra repeated, smiling at him so genuinely that he would have believed that she actually wanted to talk to him if nothing had happened at the dance.

"Nice acting," Gar rolled his eyes and turned back to look at Raven. Now she was frowning. Gar shrugged at her, showing that he had no idea why Terra was talking to him.

Raven had opened her mouth, obviously getting ready to try to communicate with him, but Terra pushed her chair back, blocking their path.

"Hey!" Gar said, a bit louder than he had meant to. Luckily the people at the front had not noticed, and kept going with their presentation.

"You don't want to be caught talking to that loser," Terra rolled her eyes this time.

"Loser?" Gar asked, feeling the anger rise in him. He stood up, not caring that the entire class had switched attention from the presentation to him. The people at the front of the class looked shocked.

"I hate it when people insult my friends," Gar fought to keep his voice calm. "Start running."

"What?" Terra smiled, obviously confused.

"Start run-ing," Gar drew out the word as if he was talking to a kindergartener. When Terra did nothing, he leapt at her.

Terra screamed and started running. Gar chased her around the classroom, and Mr. Funkaa ran after him, demanding him to stop and trying to bring the class to order.

The class, led by Kori, began cheering for Gar. The chant of his name heartened him, and it lent him the energy he needed. He put on a burst of speed, and caught Terra by the arm.

He pulled her back and dragged her over to where Raven was sitting, frozen in shock.

"Apologize," Gar turned Terra so she was facing Raven.

"Fine," Terra said sarcastically. "I'm sorry you're a loser."

"That's not what I meant," Gar let her go roughly, sending her to the floor. He was about to turn away when he felt a hand close on his own arm. He looked behind him to see Mr. Funkaa standing with a very serious expressing on his face. "Hey, Mr. Funkaa." He laughed nervously. "What's up?"

"Principal's office, Mr. Logan!" Mr. Funkaa said sternly. "And I'll have to send someone with you to make sure you go. Someone you'll listen to." He scanned the classroom, looking for a suitable person. "Raven, I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to accompany this young man. I have a feeling he'll listen to you."

Gar could have sworn he saw Mr. Funkaa smile at the two of them before they exited the classroom.

'_Why did you do that?_' Raven wrote as soon as they left the classroom.

"She insulted you," Gar clenched his fists. "If she wasn't a girl, I would have pummeled her right there!" Raven put a hand on his shoulder, which slightly calmed him.

'_I'm sorry,_' Raven wrote next.

"You're sorry?" Gar was confused. "What for?"

'_This is all my fault,_' Raven came to a halt in the hallway and hastily scribbled the rest of her message before continuing. '_If I wasn't in this condition, Terra probably wouldn't have done anything. And If I could talk, I would be able to stick up for you like I should have. I should be going with you to get told off, not just to make sure you go._'

"That's crazy," Gar took Raven's hand into his. "This isn't your fault. All this is happening because Terra is an idiot. I'm so glad I finally realized it." He shook his head, then muttered, "Took me long enough."

Raven raised an eyebrow at him.

"I really hoped I wouldn't have to tell you this, but I think that honesty is important if this is going to work, especially after what happened at the dance," Gar began. "After Terra, well, you know… Vic came up to talk to me. And I told him I kinda still liked Terra. He told me it was all right because I was still in shock or whatever, but it would sink in after a few days. I felt guilty about still liking her. You're not mad at me, are you?"

Raven shook her head, then stopped walking to scribble another note.

'_After this happened to me, I still loved my father. I mean, he wasn't the family type, but he was the only father I had. I was in shock about the whole thing, and still am, judging by the fact that I'm still writing on this stupid paper. I still love my dad, even though he did this to me. I've loved him for fifteen years, even if I never showed it. It's going to take me a while to un-love him. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel._'

"That makes me feel so much better." Gar paused, then continued. "You know, it's kind of ironic. You're the one everyone expects to need comforting, but instead you're helping others. It feels weird, knowing that you solved one of my problems and I can't help you with yours."

'_Knowing that I have so many people there for me is help enough,_' Raven wrote.

"Principal's office," Gar halted abruptly. "Great. I guess I'll see you later." He kissed Raven on the cheek before walking through the office door.

Raven began walking back the way they had come when Gar called after her.

"And Raven? Thanks."


	10. The Handsome Runner

_Here's the next chapter! Kid Flash is introduced in this one, so I'm pretty excited about that. He's AMAZING._

_And I don't own Teen Titans._

* * *

Raven clutched her notebook tightly as she walked into Latin. This was another class that involved a lot of talking. They had a stage test the next day, which meant they would be playing a review game. Seeing a snake drawn on the board, Raven's face grew red. Not only was she horrible at this game, but she couldn't talk. 

She walked up to Magistra Klien's desk and wordlessly handed her a note.

"I did get your mother's call," Magistra said kindly. "I'm so very sorry."

Raven shrugged.

"Well, as you can see, we're playing a review game today. You could sit at the back and not play if you'd like." Raven nodded at this suggestion. "We have a new student today anyhow. With that distraction, no one should notice."

Raven flipped to the now famous 'thanks' page in her notebook and showed it to Magistra.

"Raven!" Raven turned to see Jinx making a mad dash for her. Jinx hugged her so tight Raven thought her head might pop off. Jinx released her a second later, to her relief, and walked with her to the back of the class.

"So, how's your day been?" Jinx asked, biting her lip as they sat down.

'_It definitely could have gone better,_' Raven wrote. '_Chorus was okay, and you saw what happened in gym and chem with Terra. Then in history she said something to Gar that made him get so mad that Mr. Funkaa sent him to the principal's office. I'm hoping Latin goes all right._'

Both girls looked up as Terra entered the room, joking with one of her cheerleading friends. The two of them took their seats, and continued their conversation, occasionally looking back at Jinx and Raven.

"Gee, I wonder who they're talking about," Jinx said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Beside her, Raven shook her head.

"Hey, guys," Roy walked over to Jinx and Raven and took the seat in front of Jinx.

"Hi Roy," Jinx said, and Raven held up another page in her notebook, which bore the word, 'Hi.'

Roy opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get very far as Terra and her friend had begun their usual screeching laughter, leaving the rest of the class not just unable to hear each other, but unable to hear themselves think.

'_Sometimes I just want to put duct tape on their mouths,_' Raven wrote.

"SAME HERE!" Jinx and Roy yelled, but their voices sounded like whispers with all the laughing.

Then, all of a sudden, as if someone had put duct tape over their mouths, Terra and her friend stopped laughing.

"Well, that was convenient," Roy smiled. "I wonder what got them to stop."

All three friends turned toward the front of the room, and saw immediately what had caused Terra and her friend to go silent.

The new student had arrived, and he had to be the most handsome teenager anyone had ever seen. Even Raven, who never paid any attention to that type of thing, couldn't help admitting that he was pretty good looking.

This person had windswept red-brown hair that any guy would envy. His eyes were as blue as a sunny sky, and they looked around the classroom as if scanning it. He was smiling as Magistra introduced herself, which made his already handsome face look doubly as nice. Everyone always looks better when they smile.

The late bell rang, and Magistra called the class to attention.

"Everyone, this is our new student, Wally." Wally smiled at the class now instead. "Is there anything you'd like to say about yourself before we start class, Wally?"

"Actually, yeah, I do have something," Wally said, and Raven rolled her eyes as Terra and her friend giggled softly. "If any of you see my sister, let her know we're riding home on bus ten. Her name's Colette, but people call her Kole." Then, seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces, he added, "We didn't get a bus number until first period, and the office forgot to call her down." _(Yes, I know they're not really twins. I just made them twins so I could write them in convincingly.)_

"Well, Wally, there's an empty seat in front of Raven in the back," Magistra pointed to the seat, and Wally walked over to it and sat down.

"So, you're Raven?" Wally asked, turning around. "Nice to meet you!" He held out a hand.

Raven smiled as she shook his hand, seeing Terra and her friend scowl at her over Wally's shoulder.

"Hey, Wally," Roy now caught his attention. "I think I've heard of you before. Are you Wally West, the champion cross country runner from South Hills?"

"Well, I wouldn't say 'champion,'" Wally said modestly, holding out his hand to shake Roy's. "What's your name?"

"I'm Roy," Roy looked at Wally in awe. "And don't try to be modest; I've seen your race record. Isn't your nickname Kid Flash?"

"Yeah," Wally grimaced. "Please don't call me that. I got the name in elementary school, and then my high school coach found out about it. I'm hoping that coming to a new school will get me a fresh start with the nicknames thing." Jinx and Roy laughed at this.

Jinx's laugh caught Wally's attention, and he turned to her.

"And who might this lovely lady be?" he asked, winking.

"I'm Jen," Jinx said, going slightly pink. "But people call me Jinx."

"Jinx," Wally smiled and nodded, before extending his hand again. "I like it." When Jinx placed her hand in his, he kissed it instead of shaking it. Raven smiled as her friend's face went even pinker. Then, her smile widening, she turned to look at Terra.

Terra and her friend were both looking at Wally, and their jealousy could not have been more evident. They were both frowning, and Terra's face was beet red, while her friend's was so purple that Raven would have thought she was not breathing had she not been taking deep breaths every few seconds.

Raven's smile turned evil, and she pulled her notebook close to her and began drawing. Then she held up her scribble and showed Terra.

She had drawn a rocket.

Terra scowled at her, but said nothing, as Magistra had just called the class to attention again.

"Split into two teams and we'll play the snake game," she smiled at the positive reactions.

"And we'll get to hiss at the other team!" A boy named Kurtis exclaimed happily, wagging his tongue and hissing.

"Only if you win," Magistra laughed. "I'll have to revoke your hissing privileges if you keep doing that, Kurtis."

"Sorry, Magistra," Kurtis said, smiling.

The rest of Latin passed rather uneventfully, unless Kurtis trying to convince Magistra that 'jewelus' was the Latin word for 'jewel' counted. _(It's gemma, in case anyone was wondering…)_ Raven sat at the back, embellishing her rocket picture, as the rest of the class played the snake game. No one except Jinx, Roy, and Wally noticed that Raven did not play.

The bell to signal the end of the period rang, and Raven, Jinx, Roy, and Wally all headed for the door together.

"What do you have next?" Roy asked Wally.

"Um…" Wally quickly pulled his schedule out of his pocket and unfolded it. "History with Mr. Funkaa."

"Same here," Jinx said. "We'll all go together."

"Do you two have history this period too?" Wally asked.

"Nope, we have math," Roy shrugged, "but they're in the same hallway."

"Not meaning to be nosy or anything, but why didn't you play the snake game, Raven?" Wally posed his question to her this time. Raven looked to Jinx and Roy for help.

"Uh, Raven is kinda going through some problems right now," Jinx said, leaving the 'her dad's a maniac and beat her up' part out of the explanation. "Something bad happened, and she can't talk anymore."

"I'm so sorry," Wally's expression softened. "Even though you hardly know me, and I hardly know you, just let me know if you need anything. And if you meet my sister, she'll be even more willing to help you. Kole's awesome like that."

"Well, this is history," Jinx said as they walked by the classroom.

"And this is math," Roy gestured to the door right across the hallway.

"See you later," Jinx, Roy, and Wally said together. Raven simply waved.

"Come on," Steve put a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Gar's probably going ballistic in there waiting for you."

Raven allowed herself to be led into math, then looked back over her shoulder to see Jinx and Wally walking into history, joking and laughing, followed by several giggling girls.


	11. Speak

_I'm skipping ahead about a week. There isn't much more to do in the rest of the school day, since almost all the new characters have been introduced. Except Slade. He comes later. This time I really do promise to include him._

_During the week, it became almost second nature for everyone to watch Raven write down what she wanted to say. There was a schoolwide challenge, where the kids had to not talk for a day, so everyone was carrying around notebooks. Gar took the not talking thing farther, and said that he wouldn't talk until Raven got her voice back. _

_Just a warning, Malchior goes full blown insane in an upcoming chapter. His insanity was introduced back in the Chem/Latin chapter, and now it comes out more in this one. Everything is explained in chapter 13._

_This is officially the longest chapter of this story!! It's like three times as long as the others are, so enjoy!_

_And I don't own Teen Titans._

* * *

Gar held his notebook tightly as he stepped into room 63. It had become their regular hang-out area in the mornings, ever since the first day they had been there. 

Raven was sitting alone in the room with her notebook open on the desk in front of her. Gar was about to walk over to tap her on the shoulder, since he wasn't talking either, but he heard a soft sob escape her. He quickly tiptoed backwards to the door.

He watched, his eyes widening, as Raven's tears dotted her notebook like the rain. Noticing this, she picked it up and smoothed out the page, then hugged the notebook to her chest. She began making hoarse noises, almost like she was choking, that scared Gar so much he forgot about his promise to be silent as well.

"Raven?" Her name escaped his lips, and she turned, hastily trying to hide the fact that she had been crying. "Oops." He clapped a hand over his mouth.

She turned to a new page in her notebook, and scribbled down, 'Sorry.'

'_What's wrong?_' Gar wrote on his own notebook as he pulled a chair up next to hers and sat down.

'_Nothing. I'm fine._'

'_Well, something had to be making you cry._' Gar tried to reason with her, finding this extremely difficult using pencil and paper rather than his voice.

'_I just want to talk so badly. That's what I was trying to do when you came in._'

Gar pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back as her new tears drenched his shoulder. They sat this way for about a minute before Raven pulled away. She held up her notebook, and pointed to the spot where she had written, 'Sorry.'

'_Please, let me help you._' Gar wrote in his notebook, which he put down on the desk between them.

'_I don't see how I'm ever going to talk again. Nothing helps. I've tried everything I can think of. There's no way._'

'_There's a way for everything, and we'll figure this one out. I promise._'

'_Thanks._'

'_I've been thinking lately,_' Gar kept writing, feeling nervous. '_Would you like to go on a first date this weekend?_'

'_Like this? I mean, if you decide to not talk, it would be pretty weird, don't you think?_'

'_If weird means fun, then yes. And I'm not talking until you do. I want to help you and support you, Raven. Even when it means I don't get to talk._'

'_Thanks, Gar._'

'_Anything for you.'_ He paused, then continued writing._ 'Well, what do you think about going on that date?_'

'_I'll obviously have to make sure my mom will let me out of her sight first. She doesn't let me do anything by myself anymore. Which I can understand, of course. I haven't left the Rodriguez's house for anything except school. They've been so nice to us._'

'_Just tell her I'm bringing my three-hundred pound bodyguard, and I'm sure she'll say yes._'

- - - - -

"I can't believe I'm saying yes to this!" Angela exclaimed for the fifth time as Raven hugged her. "It hasn't even been a week since you got hurt, and here I am letting you go out with this boy I've never met!"

"Trust me, Mom, Gar's amazing," Jinx said. She had come over to visit, and to give Raven some backup when she asked her mom if she could go with Gar. "Raven couldn't have picked a better guy."

"He'd better be exactly that, or the answer changes to no," Angela said warningly. "So, warn me now of any weird quirks he has."

"I can't think of any," Jinx shrugged, but Raven was sure Angela would want a warning about Gar's green hair. To them, it was practically natural since he had been coloring it for so long, but to her mother it would be shocking.

Raven quickly grabbed a pillow from the sofa, which was green. She shoved it a Jinx, and pointed to her hair.

"Oh yeah!" Jinx realized what Raven was saying in an instant. "Gar has green hair."

"What?" Angela put a hand to her forehead. "And I though Jen getting her hair dyed pink was weird."

"Um, hello?" Jinx held a lock of Raven's purple hair up.

"Well, yes, that is rather weird too. I still can't believe you girls did that."

'_Blame her, not me._' Raven wrote, holding up her notebook.

"Hey!" Jinx smiled, and poked her friend in the arm. Raven poked her back, and a poking battle was wordlessly declared.

The girls' poking battle was cut short when the doorbell rang.

"It's Gar!" Jinx looked as excited as Raven felt. She grabbed Raven's arm and dragged her to the door. "Open it."

Raven did. Gar was standing there, smiling, with his notebook clutched in one hand and his mother's hand on his shoulder. The two of them waved to each other.

"Hey, Gar!" Jinx said.

"All right, let me meet him," Angela gently moved Jinx to the side to get a better look at Gar. "Interesting hair. Now I have three people to enter in the 'world's worst hair' contest."

"Thank you," Mrs. Logan held out her hand to shake Angela's. "I finally get some backup on the 'don't color your hair' thing. I'm Gar's mother."

"Hey, purple and green do look pretty good together," Jinx said, winking at Raven and Gar, who were now holding hands. She pushed them closer together so their heads touched. "Don't you think so?"

- - - - -

Raven and Gar had just come from the movie theater, and were headed for the ice rink.

'_I was thinking we could go skating for the rest of the day, since it's already about five,_' Gar wrote. '_Jinx told me that you really like to skate._'

'_That's an understatement,_' Raven wrote, smiling. '_I love to skate._'

'_Awesome,_' Gar gave Raven the thumbs-up. The two of them held hands as they walked across the street from the movie theater to the ice rink. It wasn't very cold, so the indoor rink was open instead of the outside one.

As the two walked into the building, Raven thought she caught a glimpse of Malchior passing them. She turned to look, and saw a boy with white-blonde hair walking in the other direction. Hoping that it was a coincidence, Raven turned back around and wrote down her shoe size so she could get skates.

The two pulled on their skates, then put their notebooks down underneath a seat. Then they went out onto the ice.

Raven laughed as she watched Gar try to stay upright. For a guy who had excellent balance when it came to doing cartwheels and flips inside a hot and sticky mascot costume, his skating skills were awful.

As soon as he walked onto the ice, he fell down. Raven helped him up, only to have him fall two seconds later. Laughing, he stood up and put one hand on the wall for support. Doing this, he was able to make it around the rink in five minutes, with Raven going backwards in front of him, holding his other hand to help.

After making it around, Gar gently pulled his hand out of Raven's. He gestured to the rink, and waved, meaning that she should go around at her own speed. Understanding this, Raven nodded.

She took off immediately, dodging people so closely that some of them shrank back against the wall. She turned around in circles in empty spots, and came to a stop when she reached Gar by turning in a semicircle.

Gar's mouth was open, and his eyes were wide. Raven smiled, feeling her cheeks flush.

Gar then took his hand off the wall and mimed doing a figure skating move, then pointed to Raven. She nodded. His face splitting into a wide smile, Gar gestured for her to go around again, obviously meaning that she should try a skating move.

She started around again, and this time did a jump that left Gar sitting on the ice from shock. He shook his head in disbelief as she skated back towards him, almost every person on the rink staring at her.

'Wow,' Gar mouthed, giving her the double thumbs up. Raven smiled and offered him her hand, which he took. Soon the two were skating around slowly again, Gar leaning on the wall to avoid falling.

After about a half hour, the two decided to go sit down so they could talk together in their notebooks. Both smiling, they headed to the chair where they had left the notebooks.

Both notebooks were gone.

Raven looked at Gar, horrorstruck. Her notebook held her life at this point. Without it, she couldn't do anything.

'You have to talk,' she mouthed. Gar didn't understand, as this was a longer sentence than what was normally mouthed. Raven pulled him over to a sign and pointed to the letter 'u' with one hand and at him with the other.

Gar nodded and pointed to himself. Raven nodded back, and mimed talking. Gar nodded again.

"You want me to talk?" he whispered. Raven nodded once again.

"Gotcha," Gar smiled. "Let's go ask those guys if they saw anyone take the notebooks." He and Raven walked over to one of the workers.

"Excuse me," Gar said, and the person turned around.

"Can I help you?" The man focused on Gar for a second, then spotted Raven. "You're the person who was doing all the cool tricks out there!" His eyes widened, and his face broke into a smile. "That was amazing."

Raven signed 'thank you.' If she was unable to talk, she would at least pretend it was because she was mute, not because something had happened.

The man looked confused, but shrugged and turned back to Gar.

"Um, did you see anyone take two notebooks from under that chair?" Gar pointed to where the notebooks had been.

"Yeah, actually I did," he said, thinking. "He was about your age, with these creepy eyes. They were a super light blue."

"Did he have white-blonde hair too?" Gar asked, frowning.

"Yeah, that's the guy," the man nodded.

Gar groaned, but continued talking to the man. "Do you have a pencil and paper we can borrow?"

"Sure," The man ducked down behind a desk and returned with a pad of paper and a pen.

"Thanks," Gar said, turning away and going to sit down. Raven followed with the pad and pen in her hand. She began writing as soon as she sat down.

'_Why would Malchior do something like that?_' Gar took the pen and paper from her and wrote his response.

'_I dunno. But he was following you around at the dance a lot. Maybe it has something to do with that._'

'_You can talk, you know. I don't care if you do. I mean, we're going to have to give this back eventually, so you might as well talk._'

"Okay," Gar shrugged. "What are we going to do with this, though? I mean, if Malchior sees this, he might try to take it too. Then where would we be?"

'_I have an idea. It's pretty stupid, but it'll work. Just tell that guy that I'm mute and you don't know sign language. The notebooks were how we communicate, and if he would hold this pad of paper for us so we can use it later, that would be great._'

"You know, you are a genius," Gar said, shaking his head and smiling. "It's so simple, but it'll work. What am I supposed to say about Malchior and why he took the notebooks?"

'_Just make something up. Pretend he hates us or something._'

"Good plan," Gar laughed. "So, what do you want to do?"

'_I'm thinking of teaching you how to skate without falling._' Raven wrote, smiling.

"Good plan," Gar repeated. "Then I won't embarrass you anymore."

'_You don't embarrass me. Come on, what's worse: having a boyfriend who can't skate or a girlfriend who can't talk?_'

"I guess we both have our issues," Gar laughed. "Here, I'll go give this back to him." He took the pad and pen from her and walked back over to the desk. He talked to the man for a minute before coming back to where Raven sat.

"I told him Malchior took the notebooks because he was jealous I got the nicest and prettiest girl in school to go on a date with me." Gar winked at her.

Raven smiled back, feeling herself blush.

The two of them skated for hours, their speed getting faster and Gar's backside getting wetter.

"I think I'm gonna have permanent bruising back there," Gar said as he stood up for the thousandth time and wiped the ice from his pants. Raven smiled, and turned to skate backwards, pulling him with her.

"I think I am getting better, though," Gar said as Raven let go of his hands. He skated a few feet before saying, "Yes, I definitely think I am!" Raven gave him the thumbs up. "I can skate!" Gar said loudly, picking up the pace a bit to go faster. He made it five feet before he fell again.

"Never mind," he smiled sheepishly as Raven pulled him up again.

After about another hour, Gar could skate without falling. But, as he told Raven when they came back from the bathrooms, he was sure he wouldn't be able to sit for a week.

The two of them skated until nine, the time the rink closed. A voice came over the loudspeaker telling everyone thanks for coming and that it was time to go. Raven made to skate over to the exit, but Gar pulled her gently back.

"How about another lap?" he asked, winking. Raven gestured to the exit.

"They won't care," Gar said. "Trust me." He took her hand and they slowly made their way around the rink.

"So you're the lucky ones."

Raven and Gar looked over to the exit, where a woman was standing. Raven began skating faster, hurrying over to the exit. The woman held up a hand.

"Whoa, there," she smiled. "You don't have to leave." Raven looked from the woman to Gar, who was smiling. "Your friend here called us a few days ago and asked to stay fifteen minutes after everyone else left."

Raven turned to Gar, her mouth open.

"I wanted to do something really special," Gar skated over to her, wobbling the whole way.

"I'll leave you two alone," The woman smiled at the two of them before leaving. She closed the door behind her, and Gar and Raven were alone on the ice.

"When Jinx told me how much you liked to skate, I wanted to give you the chance to skate by yourself, without anyone to bother you," Gar said, pulling Raven into a hug. "And where is a better place than alone on an ice rink to tell you how much you mean to me?"

Raven rested her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly, her heart beating faster.

"I wanted to tell you that I'll always be here for you no matter what," Gar whispered. "Even if worse things happen in the future, you can count on me for anything you need. I really care about you, Raven." Gar took a deep breath before continuing. "I was thinking last night about something. I was asking myself what word I would use if someone asked me how I felt about you. I really thought about it, too." Gar paused again, then continued. "I know it might seem early to say this, seeing how we've only been together for a week, but I know that if anyone asked me how I felt, I would tell them that I love you."

"I love you, too," Raven whispered back.

It did not register that she had spoken to both of them for about thirty seconds. When they finally did realize this, they broke apart immediately, both of them crashing down onto the ice.

"You spoke!" Gar exclaimed, trying to get up and tripping over himself, sending him crashing back down.

"I, I, I," Raven sat frozen for a few seconds, then stood up. "I can talk! Gar, thank you!" She launched herself at him, sending them both tumbling onto the ice. They hugged each other, smiles tugging at their cheeks.

They struggled to their feet a minute later, holding hands and smiling broadly.

"Will you pull me around the ice?" Gar asked.

"I couldn't end the night without doing that," Raven answered, tightening her grip on his hand. She began skating very fast, pulling Gar behind her. She heard him breathing very fast, no doubt scared out of his wits, but she kept going. After a few seconds, Gar started skating with her, drawing level with her.

"Want to race?" he asked, letting go of her hand.

"You're on!" Raven exclaimed, and the two of them began skating as fast as their legs would carry them. After they went halfway around the ice, Gar fell, and Raven came to an abrupt halt, laughing so hard she fell to her knees.

"I haven't laughed like this in the longest time," Raven gasped. "This is the best feeling in my life!" She fell backwards, so she was lying down on the ice.

"This was amazing," Gar said, skating slowly to where Raven was. He plopped down on the ice next to her. Raven sat up.

"Thank you so much," she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tight. "It's thanks to you that I can talk."

"I guess I can help you with your problem," Gar said, hugging her back and laughing. "Remember at school when I said it felt weird having you help me but I couldn't help you?"

"Yeah, that was when you got sent to the office."

"And got a detention," Gar reminded her. "It was actually kind of fun. I had Mr. Anticol as my detention monitor, and he helped me with my chem homework."

"Well, that's good to know," Raven giggled as the two broke apart. "And now I can talk thanks to you. I feel like shouting!" She got up, smiling, and skated to the opposite side of the rink. "I think I will do a little shouting." She raised her hands above her head and shouted, "I love you, Garfield Logan!"

Gar stood up and yelled back, "I love you too!"

"Incoming!" Raven yelled, skating back at him. Gar caught her arm, and they spun around in a circle.

"This was the best first date ever," Gar said as their speed decreased.

"Most definitely," Raven agreed as they came to a halt. "This was definitely the perfect way to end it."

"Well, I can think of one more thing to make it even more perfect," Gar said, pulling her closer and kissing her.

- - - - -

Malchior watched, his blue eyes blazing with anger, as Raven and Gar left the skating rink, joking and laughing. His eyes followed them all the way to the car they stepped into. He followed the headlights as the car drove away.

"So, Raven has her voice back," Malchior said softly to the night. "Just as it says it will be." He placed a hand on the pocket of his pants, feeling the object inside.

"This is all happening for a reason," he continued, drawing the thing out of his pocket and looking at it. "It's all in here: Everything that has happened and everything that will happen." He put the thing back into his pocket, and knelt down on the concrete.

"On this night, I make this vow," Malchior spoke louder and clearer this time. "I swear to you, my true father, the king of Gogakia, that I will uphold the family honor. I will follow my destiny." His eyes traveled to the spot where he had last seen the car Raven and Gar had entered. "And I swear to you, my queen, that I will save you from the clutches of the enchantment you are now held in."

_So who likes the name Gogakia? I couldn't think of a name, so I asked my 9 year old brother to tell me a gibberish word. That's what he came up with. :)_

- - - - -

Raven stepped out of Gar's mother's car and waved to her, saying "Thank you, Mrs. Logan," as she did so. It felt so good to talk again!

Mrs. Logan returned her wave with a smile. Raven's already broad smile widened as Gar stepped out of the car behind her and began walking her to the Rodriguez's door.

"Thanks for the best first date ever," Raven felt her cheeks grow warm as Gar took her hand in his, their fingers entwining together.

"Same here," Gar smiled at her. "We need to do that again sometime."

"Most definitely," Raven agreed, nodding. Then she noticed, with something close to a shock of surprise, that they had reached the door.

"Well, I guess I'd better go in," she bit her lip, then released it, as she turned to look at Gar.

"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed, looking slightly less happy. To explain this change in expression, he added, "I just don't want this night to end. I've had so much fun with you that I just want it to go on forever." He squeezed her hand.

"Me too," Raven suppressed a gasp as pulled her closer and kissed her. He did it so quickly and unexpectedly that his action came close to cutting off Raven's sentence. It was a quick kiss, and Gar pulled back sooner than she had expected.

"Sorry," Gar said hastily. "I just wanted to do that before lost my nerve." He leaned in closer before adding, in barely more than a whisper, "Besides, my mom's waiting in the car, and, knowing her, she's watching."

"Right," Raven smiled. "Well, my mom will want to hear my voice, so I'd better go in."

"Can I come too?" Gar asked the last thing Raven had expected him to say. "I just want to stay with you a bit longer."

"Sure, if you want to." Raven raised her hand and pulled back the heavy brass door knocker and rapped the door twice. She had not even lifted her hand from the knocker when the door was pulled open, sending her a bit off balance. Gar steadied her by holding her arm under the elbow.

Angela was standing in the doorway, and Raven had barely had a second's glance of her when she was pulled into a giant bear hug.

"Oh my goodness, I've been worrying about you ever since you left!" Angela exclaimed, crushing Raven's windpipe. "I'm so glad you're back! I've missed you." She released Raven and beckoned over her shoulder. "Jen came over a few minutes ago so she could hear all about your date."

As Raven and Gar looked over Angela's shoulder, Jinx came into view, beaming. Raven and Gar both smiled back as Angela looked her daughter over.

"Wait, where's your notebook?" Angela asked, having just noticed its absence.

"I didn't need it anymore."

The affect this single sentence had on both Angela and Jinx was incredible. Angela sank to the floor, sobbing hysterically. Jinx, however, who wore a look of shock, simply stood there, staring. After a few seconds, she seemed to come out of her trance like state, and screamed, "What did the two of you do?" and pounced on both of them, squeezing them even tighter than Angela had hugged Raven a minute ago.

Raven and Gar both hugged her back, laughing. When Angela's tears lessened so she could stand, she immediately joined in on the hug, still sobbing.

- - - - -

"So, did you get your first kiss?" It was about an hour after Raven and Gar had returned from their date, and Raven and Jinx were now sitting opposite each other on Raven's bed at the Rodriguez's. After having a long conversation with Raven about everything possible, Angela had decided to give the two girls some space and was down in the family room with the Rodriguez family, watching the _Lord of the Rings_.

"What do you mean?" Raven frowned slightly, forgetting that she had not told Jinx about what had happened between her and Gar after the homecoming dance.

"I mean, did he kiss you yet?" Jinx asked impatiently, rolling her eyes at Raven's still blank expression. "Come on, tell me!"

"I had my first kiss down in your basement at the afterparty," Raven laughed as Jinx's mouth opened wide.

"You had your first kiss and you didn't tell me?"

"Sorry," Raven's laugh died away as Jinx's expression changed to a look of shock.

"Um, you might not have noticed, but you and Gar were in that basement for, like, ten minutes."

"We weren't laughing hysterically because something was funny, Jinx." Raven's laugh was back, and Jinx joined in, when she realized what Raven was saying. Jinx pounced on her, positively screaming.

"You know," Raven began speaking as the laughter and screaming stopped and Jinx released her, "I always expected you to be the first to get kissed. I mean, you're the funny and outgoing one."

"And you're not?" Jinx punched Raven's arm lightly, then shrugged before continuing. "Garth never really showed any interest in starting anything. I thought he would, especially after he asked me to marry him." Both girls let out a snort of laughter at the memory.

"That was hilarious," Raven said through her laugh.

"It was pretty funny," Jinx agreed. "Anyway, after that, we kind of had a non-verbal agreement to just be friends. I think it worked out for the best, though. I mean, it's so obvious he's crazier about Kole than he ever was about me that it's not even funny."

"You mean kind of like the way you are with Wally?" Raven grinned as Jinx's face turned pink.

"Come on, even you admitted he's hot," Jinx said defensively.

"Good looking," Raven corrected. "There's a difference. Besides, I know you like him for more than that." She ignored the look of terror on Jinx's face and went on. "I mean, the fact that he's nice to everyone in school, the top cross country runner in the state, and has gotten straight A's ever since kindergarten must help. The good looks are just an added bonus."

"Dude, if you didn't have Gar, I'd be worried that you were after him too," Jinx's face turned from red to purple.

"The entire female student population except me, Kori, Bea, Toni, and Kole, duh, is after him," Raven laughed. "Especially Terra."

"Do you think I even have a shot with him?" For the first time, Jinx looked nervous. "I mean, if the entire school is after him, then next to some of them I'm a nobody."

"A nobody who makes his heart rate go up," Now it was Raven's turn to punch an arm. "Remember that time in chem when he ran by our classroom during his gym class and you waved? His heart rate monitor started beeping like crazy."

"That was so funny!" Jinx's face was no longer purple, and she was laughing. "The best part was telling the story to Kori and having Terra flip out at me."

"Yeah, it's so obvious she's after Wally. Poor guy."

"Yeah, I do feel bad for him."

"I mean, it's so obvious that he doesn't like Terra at all! She just doesn't know when to give up."

"Classic Terra."


	12. The Toothpaste Apartment

_Okay, I'm skipping ahead another week. Everything is pretty much back to normal, now that Raven can talk again. Raven and her mother are moving out of the Rodriguez's house and into an apartment. It's not far from where they used to live, but Raven and Jinx are both sad since they won't be neighbors anymore._

_But don't worry. The apartment is temporary, and Angela is technically the one with the rights to the house, since the down payment for it is in her name. They'll get Talmon out eventually. Unfortunately that means going to court and getting a formal divorce and a restraining order to make sure he doesn't hurt either one of them._

_So I guess I lied when I said everything was back to normal. Oh well. Here is the moving out/in chapter!_

* * *

Raven hugged Jinx tightly, feeling tears leak out of her cheeks.

"We'll still live close together," Raven was trying to convince herself to be happy more than she was trying to convince Jinx. "We just won't be neighbors. Still, we'll get that house back."

"I know," Jinx said as they drew apart. "It's just sad. We've grown up in each other's houses."

"Raven, do you have everything?" Angela asked, walking into the room with her bag slung over her shoulder. Raven held up her duffel bag, which held her clothes and books from school that had been in her locker. "Good. Now, I was actually able to get back into the house yesterday…"

"What?" Raven dropped her duffel bag. "Was he at work or something?"

"Luckily, yes," Angela said, smiling. "I have a box of things in the trunk of the car. It's mostly old photo albums and family things. But I was able to get this for you." She dug in her bag, and pulled out a shoebox. Raven recognized it as the box in which she kept her money, journal, and other special mementos.

"Oh my gosh, Mom," she took it from Angela carefully. "Thank you!" She tucked it under her arm, already planning to put the paper admittance bracelet from ice skating into it.

"Well, we'd better get going," Angela hugged Jinx as Raven picked up her duffel bag, and the two headed out for the car. Jinx followed.

"I was talking to Wally yesterday," Jinx began, and Raven turned to see her friend's face turn the lightest shade of pink, "and he says the place you'll be living is right next to the neighborhood he and Kole live in."

"Awesome," Raven said, smiling. "I'll actually know someone."

"Promise me you'll still come over every day," Jinx caught Raven by the arm.

"As long as you promise the same," Raven said, smiling. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad, now that she and Jinx had agreed to still see each other everyday. Sure, the driving here and there would be an issue, but they'd figure something out.

"Come on, Raven," Angela was already in the driver's seat. Raven quickly opened the backseat door and pushed her duffel bag in. Still holding her shoebox, she closed the back door and opened the front door. She climbed into the passenger seat and put her shoebox on her lap.

"Bye, Jinx!" she called out the open window, waving. "See you soon!" Jinx waved back, trying to smile.

Angela pulled out of the Rodriguez's driveway and drove down their street. She drove slower almost automatically when they passed their house. Raven stared at it, wondering when she would ever be allowed inside again.

"Don't worry," Angela's voice interrupted Raven's thoughts. "We'll see it again."

"I know," Raven slumped in her seat. "It's just hard to believe we're actually leaving. I mean, I've grown up there. Jinx and I have been next door neighbors forever and practically lived at each other's houses. It's just hard to be positive right now."

"I know it is. But believe me when I say we will be back. It's my name on the down payment, not his. He has absolutely no right to the house."

"Why didn't he help pay for the house?"

"He was unemployed when we bought it." Angela rolled her eyes. "So once everything is settled, we'll be back there."

"You mean, after we go to court," Raven argued.

"Well, yes," Angela hesitated before continuing. "We will obviously have to get everything settled legally. We'll have to get a proper divorce, I'll have to get the house back, and make sure he never comes near you again."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well, when the court sees what he did to you, and me," Angela's voice began to shake, "they'll make sure he doesn't get any kind of custody. I'll get a restraining order if I have too." Angela paused before continuing. "I just wish we had your notebook."

"What?" Raven was completely taken aback by this comment. "Why do we need my notebook?"

"It's proof of the harm he did. Without it, we have no way of proving that you couldn't talk for a week. It's just our word against his."

"But all my friends would–"

"Raven, the court gives one adult testimony more credit than a hundred teenagers," Angela interrupted. "Even if the entire school vouched for you, they'd believe Talmon. Now if I go up there and tell them, and maybe get a teacher to do the same, then they'd believe us."

"That's stupid."

"I know it is, hon. I know."

The rest of the drive passed in silence, as neither of them felt much like talking and the radio was not on.

They soon pulled into their new home.

"It's red," Raven commented as her mother pulled into a parking spot.

Her observation was a slight understatement. This building seemed to be having a festival of red going on. It was a red-bricked building with red window frames, a red door, red curtains, and red flowers lining the red walkway to the door.

"The inside's not like that, is it?" Raven cast a wary glance at her mother. "I don't want to live in a furnace."

"Don't worry about it," Angela assured her. "There's a whole new color scheme going on inside. It's not much better, though."

"That makes me feel so much better," Raven said sarcastically. She shook her head as the two of them exited the car and took their bags out.

"I'm leaving this box here," Angela pointed to the trunk. "I'll get it once we've put everything else down."

The two walked up the incredibly red walkway and entered the apartment building.

"Now I'm in a room full of toothpaste," Raven looked around at the walls, grimacing. A mint green colored wallpaper with squiggle lines that looked like toothpaste covered the wall from ceiling to floor. The ceiling was painted a matching mint green, and the floor tiles were light blue.

_(A/N: You think I'm crazy for making it look like that? Well, believe it or not, our entrance hallway looked like that when we first moved in. I was really little, so I just called it the 'toothpaste hallway.' It was officially the ugliest wallpaper ever.)_

"I know it looks bad," Angela muttered as they walked over to the elevator, "but believe me when I say it's not that bad. The owner of this place has a brother who works with home design, so you're allowed to do whatever you want with the inside of your apartment because they can put it back the way it was really cheap."

"Then why don't they fix it for real?"

"I have no idea," Angela shook her head. She pushed the up arrow, and the elevator opened a second later. A man stepped out.

"Hello," he greeted them instantly. "Are you two new here?"

"Yes, we're just moving in," Angela smiled as he held the elevator doors open so they could walk in.

"Let me know if you need help," the man smiled back. "I'm up on the fourth floor, room 411."

"Really?" Angela looked surprised. "Our room in 412!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man pushed the elevator doors open as they began to close. "I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Ryan."

"I'm Angela, and this is my daughter, Raven." Raven smiled politely at Ryan. She didn't know why, but she thought she had seen him before; he looked extremely familiar.

"How old are you?" Ryan posed his question to Raven, frowning slightly as he seemed to size her up.

"I'm fifteen," Raven thought this question odd. Why would Ryan need to know how old she was?

"I thought so," Ryan nodded, his frown ebbing away. "My son is the same age. I assume you two know each other; his name is Malchior."


	13. Malchior's Insanity

_Here's chapter 13! Malchior's insanity is explained in this one, so hopefully it'll be weird enough to suit him!_

I don't own Teen Titans, so don't sue me Cartoon Network!

* * *

"Jinx, this is awful!" Raven was practically shouting into the receiver. "Malchior's my new next door neighbor!"

It was an hour after the meeting with Malchior's father in the elevator, and Raven was now sitting in her new bedroom, trying not to look at the toothpaste walls. She and Angela had finished unpacking their bags and Angela's box, and Raven was now talking to the only person she could: Jinx.

"You're kidding, right?" Jinx sounded disbelieving.

"No I'm not!" Raven fell onto her bed, facing the ceiling, which was painted a light green color. "He lives across the hallway with his dad!"

"That sucks," Jinx said slowly.

"What am I going to do?"

"Um, ignore him?" Jinx stated this as a sarcastic question.

"That's not exactly an option, Jinx. Mom and Ryan, Malchior's dad, kinda clicked when they met, so guess where we're eating dinner?"

"Ooh, bummer."

"Yeah. I didn't have a chance to tell Mom that it was Malchior who took our notebooks and stalked us. I mean, what was I gonna do, say all that right in front of his dad?"

"Well, you can hope that his dad's nice, I guess."

"His dad is nice!" Raven sighed. "I wish Malchior was more like him. Maybe then he wouldn't have taken the notebooks or followed me and Gar around."

"Hey!" Jinx exclaimed, obviously struck by a sudden thought. "Maybe you can ask him for the notebooks back during dinner! I mean, he can't really say no with your mom and his dad right there, can he?"

"I've asked him a hundred times at school already. I don't think two people are going to make a difference."

"Well, then excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and instead go look for them."

"That sounds like so much fun," Raven's voice was the sarcastic one now. "Unlike you, I've never been poking around someone's house before."

"Hey!" Jinx sounded insulted. "I only snuck into your room to–"

"Nevermind," Raven interrupted hastily. "Look, I've got to go. We're going over in a few minutes."

"Good luck," Jinx tried to sound encouraging as she hung up.

"Yeah, I'll need it," Raven told the ceiling as she dropped the phone onto her bed next to her.

- - - - -

Raven was not pleased with the seating arrangements at Ryan and Malchior's table. Angela and Ryan sat across from each other, as did Raven and Malchior. Neither of the two teenagers touched their food; Raven was too busy trying to ignore Malchior while he sat staring at her the entire dinner. Angela and Ryan talked together during dinner and did not notice a thing.

"Raven, you didn't touch a thing," Angela sounded surprised when Ryan went to get dessert and she noticed her daughter's full plate. "Don't you like it?"

"I'm just not hungry," Raven pushed her fork through the pasta dish in front of her. "I guess the toothpaste walls and green ceilings made my stomach a little queasy."

"Yeah, the walls did that to me too," Angela laughed. "Don't worry, we'll redecorate soon."

Ryan returned at that moment with the dessert plate. On it was a small chocolate cake. It was iced and decorated to sport a small brown armadillo.

"I baked this one yesterday," Ryan said as he placed it down carefully in the middle of the table. "Malchior decorated it. I think we make a good team, don't we, Mal?" He nudged Malchior in the arm, which jerked him out of his trance-like state of staring at Raven.

"Huh?" he looked around wildly before settling his eyes on the cake. "Yeah, whatever, dad." Raven noticed that he put an almost sarcastic emphasis on 'dad.'

"Why is there an armadillo on it, Malchior?" Angela asked, admiring the cake.

Malchior simply shrugged at her, then turned back to stare at Raven.

"Um, can I use the bathroom?" Raven looked up at Ryan, biting her lip.

"Of course!" Ryan took a step back from the table and pointed off to his left. "The bathroom is the second door on the right."

"Thanks," Raven stood up and walked quickly across the room. She entered a toothpaste hallway not unlike the one she and Angela had in their apartment. There were four light green doors, two on the left and two on the right.

Raven opened the first door to the left and found herself looking in on a very clean and neat bedroom. A large bed stood majestically in the very center. This room also had the toothpaste walls. As Raven scanned the room from the doorway, she figured it was Ryan's room; Malchior's would definitely be messier.

She tried the first door on the right next. This time she was right.

Malchior's room was indeed very messy. Books were strewn all over his light blue carpet, and his bookshelf seemed to have no sense of order whatsoever. His bed, which had light green sheets, was not made, and his pillows were both lying on the already book-strewn floor. He had tacked posters and pictures all over his toothpaste walls.

As Raven looked closer, she realized that all of the hundred or so books Malchior owned were written by the same author, as his name was emblazoned in large red letters on the cover of every single book. Raven picked one of the books up, but dropped it a second later from shock.

On the cover of the book was a picture of Malchior and her.

Well, it wasn't really Malchior and her. It was a picture of two people that had an uncanny and almost frightening resemblance to them.

The Raven in the picture was clinging to the Malchior in the picture. Her long purple hair created somewhat of a cape around her, and she wore the skimpiest dress Raven had ever seen, whether in real life or in a picture. It was little more than fancy underwear with a long but revealing skirt. The picture Raven wore a look of terror.

"That's gross," Raven instead turned her attention to the picture Malchior. He had the real life Malchior's white blonde hair and icy blue eyes, but the rest of him had no resemblance to the real thing. This Malchior was wearing a long white tunic with black stockings. He wore brown boots, a long black cape, and a golden belt. With one hand, he held a sword out in front of him, and with the other he held the picture Raven close to him.

"This isn't creepy at all," Raven said sarcastically as she continued throughout Malchior's room. "OK, Raven, just find the notebooks and get out of here."

As she looked around Malchior's room, she noticed that not only were all the books by the same author, but there were only three different books. They were all part of a trilogy that Malchior was obviously obsessed with. He had at least ten different copies of what seemed to be a standard version, but then he had a collector's edition, a color illustrated edition, and many other versions of the book.

Raven's shock at seeing this grew when she noticed that all the posters hung around his room were posters for this book as well. The pictures were all drawn by Malchior himself, and they showed what seemed to be different scenes from the book.

"Like it?"

Raven spun around as she heard the voice from the doorway, her heart pounding.

Malchior stood there, leaning on his doorframe lazily. A smile played around his lips, and one of his eyebrows was raised. He had his arms crossed in front of him, and seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Sorry," Raven shook her head. "I was just leaving."

"For the bathroom?" Malchior barred her way as she attempted to pass him. He let out a chuckle. "Sure, the bathroom. I know what you're looking for, but you won't find it here."

He began walking into the room, stretching his arms out to either side of him so she could not pass.

"This is my destiny," he motioned to the books around him. "This holds the fate of all."

"Whoa there," Raven put up her own hands. "No fictional book holds my destiny." She bent down and picked up one of the books. "And what's up with these people on the cover?" She thrust the book at Malchior, and he looked at it with a smile.

"That's us," he said fondly, tracing the outline of the picture Malchior's sword. "This is what our future holds. This," he held the book out to Raven, "is our destiny."

"So my destiny is to cling to you in terror while wearing a skimpy dress?" Raven asked sarcastically, smiling coldly. "Look, all I want is my notebook, and Gar's too. Can I have them back, please?"

"No," Malchior's answer was the same one she had been getting for a week. "I must shield you from the enchanter's curse. I must save you."

"Save me?" Raven let out a dry laugh. "I don't need saving from anyone!"

"You are under a spell," Malchior said slowly as he walked over to his bookshelf. "The enchanter Logan has taken you away from me so I cannot complete my mission." He pulled three books off the shelf and handed them to her.

"What are these for?" she asked, looking at them distastefully. All three of them had the picture Malchior and the picture Raven in them. Malchior stood in a heroic pose while Raven clung to him in terror on two of them, and the third showed the two of them kissing, a sight that made Raven's empty stomach turn over.

"They are for you," Malchior took her by surprise as he knelt before her, bowing his head. "They will help free you from your enchantment, my queen Rae."

"I'm nobody's queen," Raven backed away. "And I'm not enchanted!" She threw the books to the ground. "Look, I just want my notebook. I need it."

"It contains evidence," Malchior told his carpet.

"Yes," Raven was taken aback by this. "I need it for evidence."

"There is evidence of the enchanter Logan's treachery," Malchior continued, speaking softly to his floor.

Raven raised and lowered her hands in exasperation. Malchior was obviously convinced that this book, whatever it was, held what was to happen for the rest of his life. Nothing she said would help.

"Malchior," she took his chin in her hand and forced him to look at her, "I'm not under any enchantment. These books," she bent down and picked one up, showing him the spine, "were published by TOR Fantasy. That's a publisher that puts out fictional books. Nothing in these books has happened or ever will happen."

"You're wrong!" Malchior stood up and began shouting, his eyes blazing with anger. "Everything in here is true!" He took the book from Raven and put it back on his shelf carefully. "For your information, many things inside these books have already happened. I will see to it that I will fulfill everything that is in these books. I swore it." He took a deep breath and pushed his hair out of his eyes. Then he continued, obviously calming down. "Sorry. I forgot, you will of course be under the spell and will be so until I lift it. It is only natural for you to doubt every word I say."

"This isn't real," Raven shook her head. "These books are fiction! The person who wrote them had no idea that there was someone named Malchior out there somewhere that would take every word for granted. And in case you haven't noticed, there is no one in my life named Logan. Your enchanter theory has been disproved."

"Garfield…" Malchior trailed away, his eyebrow raising.

"…Logan," Raven finished, looking into Malchior's face in terror. "You don't really believe that, though. Right?"

"Logan is the evil enchanter trying to stop me from fulfilling my duties. He wants to take over my kingdom, and to do so, he has to take you from me." Malchior picked up three of the larger and more elaborate versions of the books. He pressed them carefully into Raven's arms. "It's all in here. Just read them. Maybe this version, the illustrated version, will help you understand. Just, please, read them."

"I'll read them if you give me my notebook," Raven shifted the books in her arms so as to hold them better. Malchior looked to the ceiling, taking a deep breath and releasing it.

"Very well," he crossed the room and opened the door to his closet. Inside hung neatly ironed shirts and pants, and a few copies of the same books lined the shelves. As Raven watched, Malchior moved two of these books aside. Under them were her and Gar's notebooks.

"Here," Malchior held out the one that had been on top. Raven walked over and took it, recognizing it as hers.

"And the other."

Malchior sighed dejectedly as he handed her Gar's notebook.

"Thank you."

"You will read those books, won't you?" Malchior looked at her, obviously nervous.

"Sure," Raven said quickly. She turned her back on Malchior and walked out of his room, muttering, "Right after I parade around this building wearing a bunny suit."


	14. Black Belt Test

_Here's chapter 14! And to those of you who didn't know: chapter 13 is now a chapter, not an author's note. Please go back and read it first, otherwise the first part of this chapter will make no sense. Chapter 13 is basically where all of malchior's insanity is explained, so it's rather important!_

* * *

"So he not only wants you to marry him, but he wants to kill Gar too?"

Jinx and Raven were both sitting on Raven's bed, the three books Malchior had given Raven open to random pages. On one of these pages, there was a picture of the book Malchior killing someone with green hair.

"Pretty much," Raven picked up the book with the picture of Malchior killing Gar – no, Logan – and pointed to it. "Look at that. Is that creepy or what?"

"Of all years for Gar to dye his hair green," Jinx shook her head. "I mean, if Malchior's convinced these books are real, then he's gonna go after Gar. You have to tell him."

"Tell him what?" Raven put the book back down, sighing. "'Sorry, Gar, but some madman wants to kill you because he thinks you're an evil wizard bent on world domination?' He'd never believe me."

"Yeah, that does sound weirder out loud," Jinx shrugged. "You are gonna tell him, though."

"I know," Raven nodded. "I will." She slammed the book shut. "I just wish this author had never written these books. Malchior wouldn't even be an issue if he hadn't."

"Yeah, your life definitely doesn't have enough going on in it," Jinx said sarcastically. "Your mom and dad are fighting for the house and everything else in it, you just got over your week of silence or whatever you want to call it, Malchior thinks your boyfriend is evil and wants to marry you, and you're going to turn sixteen in two weeks."

"What does my birthday have to do with any of this?" Raven laughed. "Compared to everything else, that's the last thing on my mind."

"Sixteen equals driving," Jinx shook her head exasperatedly. "Duh!" This considerably lightened their moods, and the two girls laughed for a full thirty seconds before turning back to the books.

"I really hope that Malchior realizes that these books aren't real," Raven shook her head, looking at the cover of the third book.

"Yeah," Jinx followed Raven's gaze to the cover of the book and shuddered. "I wouldn't want him trying that."

"Tell me about it," Raven turned the book over.

"If only there was some way of changing the ending to these books," Jinx picked the third book up, a thoughtful look on her face, and opened it up to the last page.

"That would be nice," Raven pointedly looked away from the book, as the front cover was visible in the way Jinx was holding it.

"'And then, sword in hand, Malchior the Magnificent ascended to the throne of his father. His queen Rae sat by his side, her hand resting on the carved arm of the throne. As Malchior looked down the hallway and out onto his kingdom, he felt that, at last, there was room for a happy ending…'" Jinx closed the book with a snap, and made a noise of disgust. "Talk about cliché."

"And gross," Raven added. "Did you even look at what that guy has Rae doing in that picture?"

"Yeah, that was rather disturbing," Jinx agreed.

"Would it have killed him to make it an unhappy ending for once?" Raven asked. "Malchior is defeated by Logan, and _then_ we all live happily ever after."

"Let's call the author guy and ask him to do that," Jinx joked, laughing.

"Too bad he lives in California," Raven shrugged, pointing to the back page of one of the books, which was the 'about the author' page. "He wouldn't understand anyway." Both girls shrugged and sighed at the same time, which led to a bout of laughter.

_Yes, I know this part seemed rather pointless, but it's important to understand what exactly Malchior believes he is destined to do concerning Raven and Gar. Major foreshadowing._

- - - -

_This part is for all you guys who've been feeling a bit Robin and Star deprived! Told from Star's POV._

"Mr. Grayson, Ba Sye."

"Yes, sir!"

Kori watched, a half-smile on her face, as Robin stepped forward out of the crowd of black belts and took his place in the center of the carpeted floor. Striking his Joon-be stance, or ready stance, Robin took a deep breath, then launched into the form.

Robin was testing for his third-degree black belt. There was only one other person testing for that rank, Jerry Wilson, who was a few years older than Robin. This test was taking place at the larger karate school across town, and Kori had decided to tag along to support Robin.

With every block, kick, and punch Robin executed, there was a sense of power coming with it. His fists tensed with each movement, and Kori could see the concentration on his face. She knew that this form was an older one, one he had learned years ago, but at the black belt tests he had to be prepared for everything. His black belt, which bore his name, 'R. Grayson,' on it in yellow letters swung around at his waist as he executed a perfect turning kick, and Kori could tell that Robin could have easily broken three boards if someone had held them up.

His breathing was heavy, but his form never faltered, and his kicks and punches remained as strong as ever throughout the form. This form was Robin's favorite, as he had told Kori this when he had been preparing, and she knew he wanted to do his best.

Finishing the form, Robin returned to the Joon-be stance, then bowed to the masters at the front of the do-jang, or training hall.

"Thank you, Mr. Grayson, you may sit down," Master Wilson, Robin's instructor, motioned to the back of the room where the rest of the students were waiting. "Jerry, you may come forward."

Kori watched Robin's sweaty face crease into a slight frown as he turned to walk out of the center of the room. Jerry was Master Wilson's son, and would no doubt be asked to perform a harder and more complicated form so as to look better in comparison. Everyone, except the masters grading the students' performance, knew that Master Wilson favored his son over Robin.

Sure enough, Jerry was asked to do Ship-su, a longer and more complicated black belt form. Kori turned from watching Jerry's form to smile encouragingly at Robin.

He smiled back, and she gave him a small thumbs-up.

After Jerry had finished his form, the younger students were asked to come forward to perform their three-station breaks. Each student was to pick three breaks to perform for the masters, and were graded on how powerful their execution was, and, obviously, whether they broke to board or not.

Kori's attention was drawn to a smaller girl who was a red belt, testing for her first degree black belt. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing as she set up the boards at exactly the right heights and practiced her breaks. Then she bowed to the masters, and, on their command, begun.

Her first break was an inside-outside snap kick, then she launched right into an elbow strike from there, and ending with a running jump side kick, during which she jumped over two other kids. After finishing this, she bowed respectfully, gathered up her broken boards, then sat back down at the edge of the wall.

"She's good," Kori murmured. "I wish I could do that."

Once the younger kids had finished their breaks, the teenagers and adults testing for their first degree black belt came up and did similar three-station breaks. Then the second degree testers performed assigned breaks. Then it was time for Robin and Jerry to go up again.

For the first time throughout the entire test, Robin looked nervous. This break was different than all the others he had previously done. He was to perform one of the advanced black belt forms, during which he was to break three boards, one with a punch, one with a kick, and one with his head. He knew when these breaks were to take place, but, as he had told Kori, that didn't stop him from being nervous.

"What if I get splinters in my forehead?" he had jokingly asked her before the test.

Kori bit her lip as Jerry and Robin set up their boards. Once they were set, Master Wilson told them to begin.

Both started in unison, the movements looking exactly the same for the first few seconds. Then Jerry sped up and broke his first board. This was the punch. It broke on his first try. Robin came to this break just as Jerry had finished it, and broke it cleanly in two.

The head break was next. Kori could tell that both Robin and Jerry were both preparing for this throughout their next few movements, then Jerry launched forward, crashing his head through the board. Robin was next, and he executed the jumping head strike perfectly, breaking the board straight down the middle.

After this flawless break, Kori could tell Robin was more confident. His movements for the rest of the form were stronger and showed more power, and when he came to the kicking break, he did not seem to notice the board. His foot went right through it, and he didn't even pause to look, just kept right on going.

Kori was so entranced by Robin's perfect performance that she forgot all about Jerry and just watched Robin. She had never seen him more focused and in control ever before. This was Robin doing what he did best. This was Robin doing something he loved.

Once Robin and Jerry had finished their breaks, everyone was told to line up. Everyone, even the small girl Star had been watching before, stood at attention with their hands at their sides, looking straight ahead.

The masters all gave speeches to the students which all basically said, "Great job, you all pass." Then Master Wilson stepped forward, beaming.

"Congratulations to all," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Every one of you has performed with excellence today, and I can honestly say I have never been more proud." He paused, casting a glance in Jerry's direction. "Look at all of you now. Standing here at attention, not a single person so much as breathing–" Everyone laughed. "–you all are black belts, right here and now. You may already have the midnight blue belt around your waist, or you may have the red belt with three blue stripes, but you are all black belts." He clapped a hand on his son's shoulder and pulled him slightly forward. "I see every one of you here someday. Every one of you gave as much effort as Ee-dans today, and if I could give you all a Sum-dan degree, I would. Unfortunately, I cannot." He let his son's shoulder go, and Jerry stepped back into the line.

"Excellent job," Master Wilson repeated, then, gesturing to the other masters, stood at attention. The students all seemed to stiffen, then everyone bowed, saying 'Thank you' in Korean (_A/N: I can't spell it, otherwise it'd be here._), then, holding their fists up, saying, "Tang Soo!" loudly and proudly.

Then there was chaos. All the younger kids were trying to find their parents, and the adults were all trying to walk out of the do-jang so as not to crowd it up. Kori stood up from her chair and watched Robin through the crowd.

He and Jerry were the only ones who had not moved. They were speaking together, and as Kori watched, Robin offered Jerry his hand. Jerry shook it as the two bowed, then held their fists up and said, "Tang Soo!" loudly.

"Mom!" Robin saw his parents, who were fighting their way through to him. "Dad!" His mother hugged him tightly, telling him how proud she was. His father shook his hand solemnly, also expressing his praise. Kori hung back, not wanting to interrupt.

"Kori!" Robin walked over to her after his parents had gone over to Master Wilson, no doubt asking him something about Robin's performance.

"That was incredible," Kori exclaimed as he came closer. "I've never seen anything like it before.

"Thanks," Robin said, still breathing rather heavily. His face had a slight pink tinge to it, and he was covered in sweat. His uniform jacket was slightly loose, showing off the T-shirt he wore underneath it. His belt was coming loose of its tight knot, and his hair was sticking up all over the place.

"Am I allowed to hug you in here?" Kori asked, not sure whether this was allowed. Sure, Robin's mother had hugged him, but that was different.

"You want to hug me?" Robin opened his arms so as to illuminate his sweat issue and looked down. "I'm gross."

"I don't care," Kori assured him. Not waiting to give him time to talk her out of it, she hugged him, squeezing him tightly. He hugged her back, though more gently, obviously still concerned about his sweat.

"Want to meet Jerry?" Robin asked when they had released each other, gesturing to where his mother and father were talking to Master Wilson. Jerry was standing next to Master Wilson.

"Sure," Kori shrugged.

"Jerry," Robin waved, and Jerry, obviously glad for an excuse to leave his father's side, hurried over.

"Thanks, Robin," Jerry said gratefully. "My dad won't stop banging on about how I basically sucked the whole test, and now he's trying to drag your parents into it."

"Sounds like him," Robin shrugged. "You did great, no matter what Master Wilson says."

"Thanks," Jerry smiled.

"Um, this is Kori," Robin introduced her awkwardly. "Kori, this is Jerry Wilson."

"Nice to meet you," Kori said, shaking Jerry's hand. He bowed slightly when he shook her hand. "You did an awesome job out there."

"Thank you," straightened up and released Kori's hand. "Are you a friend of Robin's?"

"Uh…"

Both Robin and Kori looked at each other. They had never officially decided what to do after they kissed at the dance. They had attempted to talk about it, of course, but with both of them having hectic schedules that kept them out until all hours of the night, they had never found the time to decide whether to stay friends or officially get together.

"We're, um," Robin attempted to answer, but faltered, looking at Kori for help.

"You're not sure if it's at that friend stage or something more?" Jerry provided helpfully.

"Yeah," Robin and Kori both jumped on this answer, grateful for this way to get out of answering it.

Jerry laughed.

"Jerry!"

A sharp voice from behind them caught them off guard, and all three looked back to see Master Wilson standing imposingly behind Jerry, frowning.

"Come," he said, taking his son's shoulder in his hand and steering him away. "We must work on the last kick of your last form. You were slightly off, and even slightly can count for something."

"Bye, Robin," Jerry said, disappointment etched on his face. "It was nice meeting you, Kori!"

"You too!" Kori waved.

"And that's what Master Wilson's really like," Robin muttered. "He's obsessed with making Jerry the best at everything, just because he thinks I threaten him." He rolled his eyes. "Jerry's ten times stronger, his form is perfect, and he's nineteen. I'm only sixteen. I don't see what he's so worried about."

"He seemed so nice when he was addressing the students, though," Star was puzzled. "Was that just him pretending?"

"Yep. His favoritism towards Jerry is overwhelming during class."

Both teenagers turned to look over to where Master Wilson was criticizing Jerry's stances as he practiced one of the forms.

"It looks fine to me," Kori shrugged. "Maybe I just don't have 'the eye' or something."

"No, it's not you," Robin assured her. "That is the best front stance I have ever seen. It's not enough for Master Wilson, though. Jerry has to be better than perfect."


	15. He Figured it out

_Here's a little tidbit I've been working on for quite some time. Sorry I haven't been updating; I've been working really had with the editing of the first part of the story. I've also had terrible writer's block. _

_There's some more Robin and Star fluff in here. And some of the Malchior insanity that just keeps getting more and more out of hand. I never intended him to get this evil, but unfortunately my brain has a mind of its own. Wait, that made no sense... Also, sorry it's so short. It's all I could pound out. :( _

* * *

Kori was sitting on Robin's porch, her feet dangling off the edge, looking out on the quiet neighborhood street that was in front of her. The weather was getting colder, but not so much that sitting outside would be uncomfortable. She tugged her light jacket closer around her, and sighed.

Today was the day they would decide. Ever since Jerry had asked if the two were friends, they had known that they would have to decide. Now, on that very same day, Kori was outside waiting for Robin.

Like most participants of any kind of karate test, Robin had been practically drenched in sweat at the end. The car ride home had been…smelly to say the least. While Kori sat outside, he was inside taking a shower.

"What am I going to say to him?" she wondered aloud. "What's he going to say?" There was a knot in the pit of her stomach that was tightening with each passing second, and these questions did nothing to help untie it.

Unable to sit still any longer, Kori got up and entered the house through the front door. She closed it quietly behind her just as the shower water stopped running. Robin would be coming down soon.

"Hello, Kori," Mrs. Grayson, who was in the next room, walked over to her. "Was it too cold outside?"

"No, I just got lonely," Kori smiled.

"Would you like some lunch?" Mrs. Grayson gestured to the kitchen, where Kori could see Mr. Grayson eating a bowl of soup while he read the newspaper. "I know it's rather late, but we haven't eaten since before the test."

"No thanks," Kori declined the offer politely. "I'm not very hungry."

She had barely uttered these words when a set of pounding footsteps came running down the stairs to the left. She turned her head to see Robin dashing down the steps, pulling a sweatshirt over his head at the same time. How he was able to run with his head inside a shirt was beyond her, but the sight made her laugh.

"Robin, next time get dressed before you come down the stairs," Mrs. Grayson tousled her son's still-wet hair.

"Sorry, Mom," Robin smiled sheepishly, then turned is attention to Kori. "Want to go outside?"

"Hold up," Mrs. Grayson held up her hands. "Not until you get some food inside you." She looked at her son with mock severity. "You haven't eaten since breakfast, and that test was draining."

"Mom, I'm fine," Robin protested, but Mrs. Grayson went into the kitchen nevertheless, leaving Kori and Robin standing almost awkwardly by the doorway.

"She'll probably come back with out whole pantry," Robin rolled his eyes. Kori laughed.

Sure enough, a minute later, Mrs. Grayson came back with a tray that held a plate of sandwiches, two glasses of water, and two large cookies.

"Here you go," she pressed this into Robin's hands. "Make sure Kori eats too; I don't want her parents thinking we left her to starve!"

Kori giggled and held the door open for Robin as Mrs. Grayson went back into the kitchen, no doubt going to join her husband for lunch. Robin set the tray of food down on the small white table on the porch, then sat down on the ground beside it. Kori followed suit.

The two simply stared at each other for a minute before Robin reached up and took two sandwiches off the plate. He held one out to her.

"Want one?"

"Sure," she took it, but did not eat it. Robin also simply held his sandwich, his eyes darting around, looking anywhere but at her.

"Was it awkward?" Robin asked finally, after about a minute of silence.

"What?" Kori was taken aback.

"You know, when Jerry asked if we were friends."

"A little," Kori admitted, looking from her sandwich to his face, which was pink. "I mean, I don't like not knowing this kind of thing."

"Same here," Robin agreed, obviously struggling to keep eye contact. "So, what do you think?"

"You're going to make me decide?" Kori joked, setting her sandwich down on the tray and gently putting her now free hand on top of his. She watched, almost laughing, as Robin's face flushed a deeper color. He also abandoned his sandwich on the tray and took her other hand in his.

"No," Robin said softly. "I just want to know what you want me to do."

Kori did not give him an answer, she simply moved closer to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Robin asked, obviously confused.

"You'll figure it out," she laughed, standing up from the porch and jumping down onto Robin's lawn. Turning to face him, she walked backwards over to a tree in his yard. Smiling almost mischievously, she began to climb. Robin sat in shock for a few moments, his hand on his cheek, before he moved.

"Wait up!" he called, running after her and beginning to climb up after her. Kori purposely stopped on a rather large branch that was wide and long enough to hold them both.

"Figure it out?" she asked as Robin clambered onto the branch she was sitting on.

"I think so," Robin nodded, leaning closer and kissing her…

_ Thar ye go, Rob/Star fans!! _

- - - - -

Malchior sat in his room alone, caressing the cover of one of the more extravagant books. There was no doubt in his mind that the events in the books were what was destined to happen, no matter what Raven thought.

"She is under a spell," he repeated for what had to be the hundredth time that day. "This is all Logan's doing." His gaze turned from the book to his yearbook that was lying open next to his knees. It was open to Garfield Logan's picture. Malchior had savagely damaged this picture, singeing it so that Garfield's face was almost completely covered, but not so much that he had burned a hole in the page.

He had also gone through the entire yearbook, looking for other pictures of Garfield. He had burned Gar's head in every single one.

"The symbolic rebirth is close," Malchior opened the second book of his favorite trilogy to a page he had marked with an elegant bookmark. He began reading aloud.

"_The sorceress came to Malchior in his dream once more. This time, she told him exactly how to free Rae of Logan's clutches. _

_ "'You must pierce his heart with the purest gold, symbolizing your love for Rae. This gold will clash into his frozen heart, causing him to lose consciousness. While this will not kill him, it will remove Rae from his control. _

_ "'However, in order to completely vanquish Logan and completely release those under his control, you must take him down in a battle to the death. Only then will Rae truly be free.' _

_ "With that, Malchior awoke in a cold sweat. He now knew how to reclaim the woman that had been promised to him. She would be his again." _

Malchior pressed his lips to the words gently, as if willing the sorceress from the book to emerge and guide him in his real life quest. He closed the book and tucked it under his pillow. He believed that if he slept with the book under his pillow, the sorceress would come to him in his dreams, just as the book says she would.

Malchior then sank to the floor, pulling out a shoebox from under his bed. He opened it and, completely ignoring the weapon that was nestled inside a black scarf, picked up another, smaller box. He opened this one, revealing a gold necklace in the shape of a cross.

This necklace had been given to him on the day of his confirmation by Ryan. It had once belonged to Ryan's wife. As they were under the impression that Malchior was their son, they felt it necessary to raise him a Catholic, which was how both of them had been raised. But Malchior knew the truth. His real parents were testing him. They were making sure that he was able to withstand trials of this sort before bringing him home.

But this would not happen without first defeating Logan and having Rae as his bride.

And if that meant killing Garfield Logan to get to Raven, then he was willing to do it. He would do anything to retake his rightful place at his real father's right hand side as prince.

This necklace was made out of the purest gold Malchior could get his hands on. If he could form it into some sort of weapon, that would surely be good enough to break Logan's current hold on Rae. If he could pierce Garfield Logan's heart with that gold, Raven would be his.


	16. I Have to Invite Malchior?

_Hey there everyone! I've been working really hard to get this story finished, and I can officially say that the next chapter is the climax of the story! Wow... I've been working on this thing forever!!_

_This is an update for TwilightPrincessFan, who told me that "the suspense is literally killing me!" Well, hate to disappoint you, but this chapter totally ends in a cliffie. Sorry._

_Okay, now I have something important to address. You'll realize that in this chapter, some people's names are different. This is because I went back and edited the entire story, and some characters needed their names changed. So now Star is Kori, Alfie is Garth, Steve is Roy, Cy is Vic, and Larry is Leo. If there's another character I've forgotten and you're not sure who they are, please let me know so I can add an author's note for that. :)_

* * *

"Jinx, what are you doing?"

Raven was sitting on Jinx's bed, blindfolded. Jinx had invited her over because it was her birthday, but instead of surprising Raven with a cake (which Jinx did every year), she had ushered Raven up to her bedroom and blindfolded her.

"You'll see," Jinx repeated for what had to be the fifth time.

"Not unless you take the blindfold off," Raven protested.

"When it's ready, I will," Jinx argued.

These words had barely left her mouth when Raven heard a telephone ring.

"I'd better get that," Jinx said. Raven heard footsteps leaving the room and running down the stairs. Then she heard the phone stop ringing and Jinx ask, "Hello?"

Even though Jinx had made her promise not to take the blindfold off, Raven lifted part of the black cloth so that one of her eyes was uncovered. She opened it and looked around, wondering what Jinx wanted to hide from her.

There was nothing different about her room. Raven frowned, confused.

"Are you ready?" she head Jinx ask. Then, a few seconds later, "Okay, be right there." She head the phone click, and footsteps coming back up the stairs. Raven hastily replaced the blindfold over both eyes.

"Okay, Raven, ready?"

"For what?"

"To go!" Jinx sounded very excited.

"You want me to go somewhere blindfolded?" Raven pointed to the cloth around her head.

"Uh, yeah." Jinx grabbed Raven's arm and began helping her walk out of the room. There was a slight mishap on the stairs, where Jinx lost her footing and caused Raven to tumble down with her, but they reached the first floor without serious injury. Raven heard the door open, and she was pushed outside.

"Watch your head," Jinx warned her. "We're getting into a car."

After being helped into the seat of a car, Raven felt her seat belt being buckled for her. The door closed, and she head Jinx's voice next to her ask, "You all right?"

"Apart from the fact that I can't see, I'm fine," Raven folded her hands in her lap. Jinx laughed.

"Don't worry, it's a short drive."

The car started, and whoever was in the front seat began driving. The driver had not introduced himself or herself, so Raven asked, "Who's driving?"

"Me," Raven recognized Jinx's mother's voice.

"Oh, hi Mom," Raven laughed. "If I didn't trust the two of you I'd swear I was being kidnapped." Jinx and her mom laughed at this.

The drive continued with the three talking and Jinx asking Raven very distracting questions, as if trying to keep her mind off the fact that they were driving somewhere. Raven felt that she had a point. After all, the sequence of turns and stops seemed oddly familiar. She must have driven from Jinx's house to wherever they were going before.

"We're here!" Jinx exclaimed as the car halted.

"Can I un-blind myself now?" Raven asked.

"No." Raven heard the three clicks as three seat belts were released, and two doors were opened. Two people exited the car, and then the door next to her was opened as well. She felt a hand close around her wrist.

"Jinx?" Raven asked, trying to figure out if it was still her best friend.

"Nope," a voice she recognized sounded excited as the person it belonged to helped her out of the car.

"Gar?" she squinted, as if that would make her able to see through her blindfold.

"Who else?" he laughed.

"Where'd Jinx go?" Raven asked, looking around blindly.

"Here!" Jinx's voice came from behind her. Gar put an arm around Raven's waist and gently steered her along what felt like a road or sidewalk or something. A few seconds later they paused.

"Ready?" Gar asked, now obviously standing behind her.

"I've been since Jinx tied this thing around my head," Raven smiled.

"Okay." She felt someone untying the blindfold, and seconds later it was whipped from her eyes.

She squinted, trying to take in everything she was seeing.

"Happy Birthday!"

As Raven's eyes grew used to the sunlight streaming in them, she looked around her in surprise.

They were at the apartment building she lived at. An enormous purple banner was hanging above the doorway, reading, "Happy 16th Birthday Raven" in green letters. A table was set out in the front lawn with a cake on it, and chairs were all around, a balloon tied to each one.

It seemed like all of her friends were there. Kori and Robin were standing by the table with Vic and Bea, both couples holding hands. Wally was laughing with Leo, Garth, and Roy. Kole and Toni high-fived each other and walked over to join Angela, who was smiling broadly. Everyone was wearing funny party hats.

Raven turned around to see Jinx's mom, Jinx, and Garfield, all smiling and wearing funny hats as well. Gar walked closer to her and put one on her head as well.

"How did you guys do this?" Raven asked, pulling Gar into a hug.

"We just did," Gar answered simply, hugging her back.

"But how'd you convince the guy who owns the place?" Raven asked as she and Gar broke apart. The two of them, along with Jinx and her mom, began walking over towards everyone else.

"We just asked for permission to hang a banner and have a party. He was actually really nice about everything, and said we could as long as we saved him a piece of cake."

Raven and Jinx both laughed.

"Happy birthday, sweetie," Jinx's mom pulled Raven into a hug, then released her and gave her a little push towards her friends. "Now go have some fun!"

- - - - -

Malchior was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking out his window down into the front yard of the building. Raven's so-called friends had obviously planned her a surprise party. As he looked down, he saw Garfield take her hand and pull her over towards all their other friends.

Turning away from the window, Malchior opened the book that lay on his pillow. He turned to the page where he had left a gold-colored bookmark. He traced his finger along the page, looking over a certain part in the story.

"There," he smiled. His eyes traveled across the page faster than lightning, and he turned the page to look at the elaborate picture emblazoned across the other side.

This picture showed a man who bore a strange resemblance to Malchior holding a golden sword to another man's chest. This other man was lying on his back on the ground, a look of terror in his eyes. He had rather long green hair, a few strands of which were plastered to his forehead, no doubt by sweat.

"I can't wait," Malchior whispered, tracing the two men's outlines with his fingers. His eyes left this gruesome scene to look into the background of the picture. There stood a girl with long purple hair that hung down to her waist. She had tears streaming down her face, and she had both hands over her heart. Malchior felt his own heart skip a beat as he looked at her.

He closed his eyes, and closed the book gently. Then, pushing it aside, he knelt down to his floor. There lay the black weapon…

- - - - -

"Make a wish!"

Smiling, Raven wished for the first thing that came into her head: for Jinx and her to stay best friends for all of eternity. Taking a deep breath, she blew out all sixteen candles. Everyone clapped, and Gar kissed her on the cheek.

"Happy birthday," he said, blushing.

"Thanks," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek as well. There were appropriate 'aww's' from everyone crowded around the picnic table. Angela picked up the large knife and began cutting the cake as Raven and Gar pulled the candles out. Jinx's mom helped with plates, and everyone else passed around pieces of cake until everyone was eating.

"So how do you like being sixteen?" Kori asked, smiling over her piece of cake.

"Well, technically I won't be sixteen until eight o'clock tonight, so I can't really say," Raven laughed.

"I'll ask you then," Kori gave her a thumbs-up.

Everyone began talking amongst themselves, and Angela took this opportunity to take Raven aside.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Mom," Raven hugged her mother.

"Isn't that Ryan's son up there?" Angela pointed up to one of the windows of the apartment building. Raven followed her arm, and sure enough, Malchior was staring down at her.

"Yeah, that's him," Raven's eyes met Malchior's, and she quickly looked away.

"Why don't you go ask him to join us?" Angela suggested, obviously feeling sorry for the boy alone in the window.

"Do I have to?" Raven asked before she thought about how that would sound.

"Why wouldn't you want to?" Angela was obviously confused. "He seemed like a very nice boy when we had dinner with him and his dad."

"Mom, he didn't talk," Raven pointed out, "so how could you know if he's nice or not? Besides, he took my and Gar's notebooks when we went out on our first date."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he doesn't want me and Gar to be together," Raven figured she had better tell her mother the whole story. "See, he's obsessed with this book series, and the main character in those books is named Malchior and looks kind of like him. Then there's these other characters that are like me and Gar, and he's convinced that the books are real. In them, my character and his character get married."

"I'm sure he's just teasing," Angela insisted. "Nobody would be crazy enough to believe that a fictional book is real. Now go up there and ask him to come down."

"Can Gar come with me?"

"Just go," Angela rolled her eyes and gave her daughter a pat on the back before walking back over to where everyone else was gathered, and began talking to Jinx's mom. Raven caught Jinx's eye, and beckoned for her to come over.

"What's up?" Jinx asked as Raven pulled her into the apartment building.

"Mom's making me go invite Malchior to come down."

"What?" Jinx exclaimed as the two girls entered the elevator. "Why? Didn't you tell her about how he's completely out of his right mind?"

"Well, yeah," Raven admitted, "but she didn't believe me." At the look on Jinx's face, she continued. "I mean, she believed me about the book thing, but she figured he would never be crazy enough to believe it."

"Joy," Jinx said sarcastically as the elevator came to a halt at the fourth floor. Raven pulled Jinx along with her to Malchior's room, and knocked on the door. A minute later, it was opened.

"Raven?" Malchior was surprised, but sounded pleased.

"Hey," Raven said shortly, trying to keep this conversation as brief as possible. "Look, my mom saw you up in your window, and asked me to invite you to come down with everyone else. Are you coming?"

Malchior seemed to be weighing his options. Then, without warning, his arm shot out from the opening in the doorway and grabbed Raven's wrist. Before either girl even realized what was going on, Malchior had yanked Raven inside the apartment room and locked the door, leaving Jinx alone in the hallway.


	17. Fight for the right to Live

_Here it is: the climax. Hopefully you guys won't be too mad at me by the end... And since this and the next few are the major angst chapters, there will be swearing. FYI, this is the first time I have voluntarily used swear words in a piece of writing. The one in _Anger Management_ was put there by the co-author._

_And don't expect an update too soon. I'm still writing the next chapter. :)_

_Disclaimer (as usual): I don't own the Teen Titans. But I'm saving my paychecks so I can buy them!_

* * *

Seconds later, Jinx was pounding on the door, answering the pounds coming from inside.

"Raven?" she yelled, desperate for some sound other than bangs.

"Jinx!" Raven shouted back.

Jinx heard someone grunting, then a loud clunk. There seemed to be some sort of fight going on inside. She looked around wildly, trying to figure out what to do. Her eyes fell on the keyhole of the door.

Jinx reached up into her hair and took out her hairpin, brushing her party hat off in the process. Thanking her good fortune that this place still used keys and not some modern swipe card or automatic locks, she pressed the pin into the lock, desperately trying to unlock the door.

- - - - -

Raven and Malchior were inside the apartment room, both determined to win this fight. Raven was doing everything she could to break Malchior's hold on her, not caring who got hurt in the process, while Malchior was struggling to keep hold of her and not hurt her at the same time. He had her in a bear hug from the back.

"It's too bad I've started self defense lessons, huh Malchior?" Raven asked sarcastically, stomping down on his foot. Hard.

"Hey!" Malchior protested, trying to ignore the pain in his foot.

"Ever since my father hit me, I swore I would never let another person hurt me ever again," Raven said through clenched teeth. Cursing the fact that Malchior was wearing shoes that no doubt cushioned her blow, Raven began reviewing everything her martial arts teacher had taught her in the last few weeks.

She stopped moving, letting Malchior get a better grip on her. Although this sent a chill up her spine, she knew that it was the only way to get a good stance, and stance was key to winning this type of fight. She slid her right foot out to the side and bent both her knees: horse stance.

With this stance she was able to loosen Malchior's grip a little. His grip was now around her shoulders rather than her chest. Before he could adjust to this new stance, Raven elbowed him in the stomach. Completely forgetting that this was not class, she then brought her fist down into a hammer fist, hitting him in his groin, which was the next move in the sequence.

Trying to ignore where her hand had just been, Raven stepped out into a lunging stance, grabbing one of his hands with her own. She turned to face him, pulling his hand to her waist, completely breaking his hold on her. Then she kicked his exposed side, let go of his hand, and stepped back into fighting stance. Her party hat had fallen off and was lying at Malchior's feet.

"And that was Yielding Fire," she told the bruised Malchior standing hunched in front of her. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not the girl from the book. I know how to take care of myself."

"Way to go, Raven!"

Raven looked up from Malchior, and saw Jinx standing in the doorway, a pin sticking out of the lock.

"Piece of cake," Raven shrugged. "The boy doesn't know kung fu." Laughing, she stepped around Malchior and went to join Jinx by the door.

- - - - -

"The enchanter's curse is strong," Malchior whispered as Raven stepped back into a fighting stance. "He will work through the girl to try to defeat Malchior. Malchior must be ready to break her, and anyone who gets in his way, if he has any hope of defeating Logan and regaining his throne. Once the enchanter's curse is broken, Rae will remember nothing and become Malchior's queen."

As Raven walked to join her so-called friend, Malchior bowed his head towards them.

"Forgive me, my queen, for this must be done."

"What?" Raven turned, for she had obviously heard. Malchior took advantage of this vulnerable position and dashed over to both of them, shoving them into the room and closing the door once more.

"I have told you already," Malchior was frowning at the two girls sprawled on the floor. "This is destiny. You will remember nothing once it is over." This said, he reached behind him and produced a knife.

He kept his eyes on the two girls, both staring at the blade in his outstretched hand.

"Please tell me you got all the way to knife defenses in kung fu," Jinx muttered to Raven.

"I might be able to make it up," Raven shrugged as she and Jinx began scrambling back as Malchior advanced. "I mean, I know most of the regular blocks."

"We need Robin's karate expertise," Jinx's eyes turned to the door, as if doing so would make him burst through the door.

"Neither of you will be able to stop me," Malchior said, rather enjoying his newfound power. With nothing, he was not intimidating and could easily be taken down, but now that he had a knife, he had two girls on the floor in front of him. They had to listen to him now.

- - - - -

"Look, I know this might not be the best situation," Raven whispered to Jinx, careful to not let Malchior hear, "but as long as we do what he says he won't hurt us. Then when he lets his guard down we'll get the knife and take him down."

"Can you do that?" Jinx looked at Raven, frightened.

"I may have only been taking kung fu for a few weeks, but my instructor told me I've advanced pretty quickly. Besides, I swore that I would never let anyone hurt me again. That's got to count for something."

"Stop talking!" Malchior frowned. Raven and Jinx quickly shut their mouths and turned their attention to him.

"Now, both of you go into my bedroom," Malchior had an evil grin on his face now. As Raven moved to stand up, he took another step towards them, pointing the knife directly at her face. "And I want you to crawl."

"I'll go, but I am not crawling," Raven stood up, putting her hands out, ready for combat. "If you have a problem with that, then I'll take you down again."

Raven was praying with every fiber of her being that Malchior didn't come at her with the knife. She might be able to hold him off, but there was no saying what would happen if he managed to get a few hits in. And now that she was in this kind of situation, three weeks of kung fu suddenly felt like nothing.

"Fine," Malchior kept the knife pointed at her. "But I want both of you to go separately." Then as an afterthought he added, "And put your hands on your head."

Raven seemed reluctant to follow these new instructions, but she shot Jinx a look that she hoped looked confident, and raised her hands to her head.

"You first," Malchior pointed to Raven with the knife.

"I'm not leaving you alone with Jinx," Raven brought her hands back down in front of her. Almost automatically, she bent her knees into a fighting stance.

"Whatever," Malchior rolled his eyes. "You," he pointed to Jinx, "just go. It's down that hallway, first door on the right." Jinx, with her hands over her head, walked slowly down the hallway and into the bedroom.

"Now you," Malchior gestured to Raven. Shooting him a dirty look, she placed her hands on her head and began walking towards his room. She felt the tip of the knife on her back, and looked behind her to see Malchior not two inches behind her.

"Creeper," she muttered. He obviously chose to ignore this, and followed her into his bedroom. Jinx was standing by his closet, obviously frightened by the posters and the number of books Malchior owned.

"Both of you sit on the bed," Malchior insisted, pushing Raven with the knife. Jinx hurried over and sat next to her. The two friends linked arms as soon as they were next to each other.

"Now let's go over some ground rules," Malchior twirled the knife lazily. "The both of you are not to talk. If I hear anything," he stopped twirling the knife and instead pointed it at them again, "you'll be sorry." He walked over towards the bed. Raven and Jinx shrank back automatically, but Malchior was just moving over to the other side. Without taking his eyes off them, he reached down and pulled out a long, black gun.

"What's that for?" Raven asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Jinx was trembling next to her.

"Funny you should ask, my queen," Malchior moved closer to her. "This is the key to freeing you from the enchanter's grip." As she and Jinx looked on, Malchior took what looked like a golden bullet out of his pocket. "This," he held out the bullet "will free you forever."

Malchior loaded the gun with the golden bullet, and then put three more regular bullets in. He cocked it, and pointed it at Jinx.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked, pushing Jinx over so she was not in front of the weapon anymore.

"Just teasing," Malchior laughed. "I would never waste the golden bullet on her. That's what bullet four is for."

Raven looked away from Malchior to look at Jinx. Her friend's face now bore a look of such fright that it scared her. There were tears in her eyes, and she was biting her bottom lip as hard as she could. Raven put an arm around Jinx's shoulders and turned back to Malchior.

"You'll never so much as touch her without getting through me," Raven said, her voice full of anger. "I swear I will kill you if you try." Now if only she was as confident as her words…

Malchior laughed coldly, and walked over to the window.

"Now, neither of you are to intervene, or _I_ swear I'll kill _her_," he motioned to Jinx with the gun. He peered out through the window, looking down at the group of people below.

"Everything's going to be okay," Raven assured her now trembling friend, wishing she believed herself.

"If I die, tell my mom I love her, okay?" Jinx sniffed, wiping her tears with the hand that was not pinned to her side by Raven's embrace.

"Nobody is going to die, I promise," Raven assured her. She looked around at Malchior, who looked as if he was setting up an angle with the gun.

Raven let go of Jinx, and slid over to the other side of the bed, looking over Malchior's shoulder. She took a deep breath, then asked, "What are you doing?"

Malchior jumped, obviously startled, then turned to look at Raven.

"I'm saving the world," he took up his aim again. Raven followed the barrel of the gun, and found it pointed directly at Garfield.

"No!" she shouted, tackling Malchior from behind, making him pitch forward, almost losing his grip on the gun. The two tumbled down to the floor, Raven trying to wrestle the gun away from him.

But Malchior had an advantage once again. With Raven still grabbing at the weapon clutched in his hands, he turned to gun to Jinx.

"Let go or I'll shoot," Malchior said over his shoulder. Slowly, Raven released her grip on Malchior and sunk back onto the bed. Then, as if struck by a thought, she grabbed at the gun again.

"You won't do it," she insisted, narrowing her eyes at him. "You said you wouldn't waste the golden bullet."

"True," Malchior pulled the gun away with such force that Raven's hands were suddenly clenched on air. "But how do you know the golden bullet will come out first?"

"Damn it!" Raven punched the bed.

Malchior laughed, and situated himself by the window again. He began to aim the gun again.

"Come on, Malchior, you don't really want to do this, do you?" Raven tried to reason with him. "Okay, so let's pretend for a minute that you're right about everything. Then what? You just kill someone and get away with it? The police will show up in ten seconds after you so much as shoot the thing, let alone actually hit someone."

"That's where you're wrong," Malchior turned to look at Raven, smiling fondly. "As soon as I defeat Logan, my real parents will come to take me home. And you will be free of the curse and will stay with me forever."

Raven and Jinx exchanged desperate glances. "Dream come true," Raven whispered sarcastically. Then, she was struck with an idea.

"Hey, Malchior," she tapped him on his shoulder, and he turned around again. "Let's say you don't shoot anyone. What if I promise to break up with Gar and…" here she paused, barely able to continue, "go out with you instead as long as you don't hurt anyone?"

"You would do that to save him?" Malchior looked at her in disbelief.

"Of course," Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you're a bad person, and I'd hate to see you hurt someone for something that will never happen."

"But you'd only be doing it to save him," Malchior was frowning again. "It wouldn't be real. I want the real thing, not an actress."

Raven groaned as Malchior turned back to the window.

"Please don't do this," she pleaded. "You don't have to hurt him. I'll do anything!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, for Malchior was now lining up the shot, ready to shoot Gar. Feeling tears well up in her eyes, she blinked furiously. She needed to keep calm. There was some way to stop him. There had to be.

"Jinx, get down under the bed," Raven whispered.

"What?" Jinx was obviously confused.

"Just do it," Raven hissed. "I need you to not be in shooting range. I have to save Gar and make sure you're safe too."

Wordlessly, Jinx slid off the bed and ducked under it. Raven turned back the Malchior and watched him level the gun, her heart rate increasing. As she watched, he tightened his grip on the weapon, his finger on the trigger bending slightly. Raven took a deep breath, knowing she had to time this perfectly.

Just as Malchior's finger tightened on the trigger, Raven yelled, "Gar, duck!"

- - - - -

"Where did Raven and Jinx go?" Gar asked Robin and Kori, who were next to him.

"I dunno, man," Robin looked around. "Maybe they had to go get something?"

Gar began looking around, wondering where the two of them could have gone. Then, out of nowhere, he heard Raven yell, "Gar, duck!"

"What?" Gar looked around wildly, trying to figure out where she was shouting from. He turned around, trying to locate her, when he felt the pain.

* * *

_You may now throw things at me._


	18. Golden Sword

_Well, if you hadn't figured out why Gar felt "pain" in the last chapter, here's your answer. Unless you hate every character, you'll hate me for doing this. Sorry._

* * *

Raven screamed. Malchior had pulled the trigger, and she watched, helpless, as the golden bullet sped towards Gar. He turned, looking for the source of her voice, just in time. The bullet struck him in the back, almost exactly where his heart had been if he had been facing the other way. 

"Gar!" Raven screamed. Malchior had turned on her with the gun, but she didn't care. With every ounce of anger and strength in her, she punched him in the face. Not waiting for a reaction, she yelled, "Jinx, let's go!"

Jinx popped out from under the bed and the two friends took off running. She grabbed Jinx's hand, and dragged her towards Malchior's bedroom door. They

ran out and towards the entrance door, hoping they would reach it before Malchior would recover from his recent head injury.

Raven hastily clicked the lock open, and Jinx pulled the door open. They slammed it shut together and rushed out into the hallway.

"We'll have to take the stairs," Raven said breathlessly, still unable to believe what had just happened. "The elevator will take too long." She and Jinx, still hand in hand, dashed down the hallway and slammed themselves against the door that connected to the staircase. Then, both tripping on every other step, they raced down the stairs and to the exit.

They came out onto a sight that nobody would ever forget.

Gar was lying on the pavement, face down, with everyone standing over him except Toni, who was holding his head off the ground so he could breathe. Angela was standing apart from the group, talking frantically into her cell phone, having no doubt called 9-1-1. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, and when she caught sight of the two girls running out of the building, she let out a strangled yell.

"Raven!"

But Raven ran past her mother's open arms. With Jinx still clinging onto her hand, she pushed between Garth and Kori to enter the circle that had gathered around Gar. Toni looked away from Gar's face and met Raven's eyes.

"Oh my God," Raven could hardly breathe as her eyes traveled from Toni's tear-stained face and onto Gar's back.

The bullet had lodged itself just below Gar's left shoulder blade. His shirt was now stained with blood, and more was still seeping out of the wound. Raven let her eyes travel onto his face, which was barely visible. His eyes were half-closed, and she could not tell if he was breathing.

"Is he…?" she trailed away, too scared to voice the question she had to know the answer to. Jinx let go of her hand, and she sank to her knees, tears flowing down her face. She looked at Toni for an answer, but Toni seemed unable to speak.

"No," Wally answered the question hoarsely. Raven turned to look up at him. "But he will be if an ambulance doesn't come soon."

Biting her lip, Raven turned back to Gar. Toni wordlessly turned over the job of holding Gar's head to Raven, and she gently propped his head up onto her lap, as Toni had done. This movement seemed to shake Gar out of whatever state he was in, and he blinked at looked up at her.

"Raven?" his voice was weak, barely more than a whisper.

"Don't try to talk," Raven said encouragingly, though her tears were still falling. "Just relax. We're getting you help."

"Promise to stay with me," Gar seemed to be straining to stay conscious.

"I promise," Raven nodded, though she was not sure Gar had heard. His eyes had closed, and his breathing became labored.

Angela broke through the circle and said, to no one in particular, "The ambulance should be here soon. And I've also let Gar's parents know what has happened. They said they would meet us at the hospital." She sounded defeated, and looked as if she had suddenly aged by ten years.

No sooner had she uttered this sentence then three loud bangs came from the apartment building. Everyone turned to look, just in time to see three black dots racing towards them.

Some people screamed, and some ran. But others, knowing what would happen if they moved, stayed where they were. In less than a second, Gar was joined on the ground by two more people. It was these two people that had saved his and Raven's lives, for if they had moved, Gar and Raven would have both been killed by the three bullets that Malchior had just shot at them.

Wally was now kneeling next to Raven, clutching at his left arm. He had been lucky; the bullet had only grazed him. But next to him, someone else had not been so lucky.

Leo was lying on the ground, blood flowing out of the wounds in his right leg. The two other bullets had lodged themselves in his thigh. His blood was staining his blue pants a nasty brown color. As Raven watched, horrorstruck by what had just happened, Jinx and Toni both knelt to the ground. Jinx took Wally's hand in her own, squeezing it for support. Toni helped Leo pick himself up into a sitting position, his head resting on her shoulder.

"What the hell just happened?" Vic yelled, obviously confused. Everyone else looked too shocked to speak. Raven was opening and closing her mouth rapidly, looking much like a goldfish, as she tried to explain what had happened.

"It was Malchior," Jinx said suddenly, and everyone turned their attention on her. As everyone else listened to Jinx explain everything that had been going with Malchior, Angela and Jinx's mother pulled Kole aside, for she looked as though she might faint any second. Raven was hardly listening, and she instead watched her mother pull out her cell phone again, now having to call two more families about their children's near-death experience.

- - - - -

Malchior watched, as if in a trance, as the three bullets sped towards the group huddled over Logan. One of them would surely hit his target. The others would scatter, leaving him exposed.

"I will soon have the queen I deserve," Malchior sighed, hardly daring to believe that he had succeeded.

But as he watched, not everyone ran away from the bullets. Were they unable to move from fear? Were they protecting Logan? His eyes narrowed as he watched two new people crumple to the ground.

"Curse it all!" Malchior exclaimed. "Why wouldn't those damn people move?"

He had failed. Not only had the golden bullet failed to pierce Logan's heart, but he had also been unsuccessful in killing him. Now Rae would stay under the enchanter's spell, and he would never rule over his kingdom.

Malchior did not know which was worse: losing his kingdom or losing his queen. As he watched from his window, Rae and Logan came into plain view. Logan's head was resting on Rae's lap, and he could tell she was crying. Malchior shook his head.

"I have failed," he picked up one of the books strewn across the floor. "This is not what was written. I was to succeed." He opened the book to the page he had marked, his eyes whizzing across the page faster than the bullets that had sped through the air.

"Now I see," Malchior's eyes fell onto the elaborate picture of his fantasy self stabbing Logan. "I understand. I was not meant to take advantage of the shortcuts made in this world. I must do this the old-fashioned way."

He closed the book and walked calmly into Ryan's room. There was no need to panic, not yet. He still had a chance of succeeding in his mission.

Mounted above Ryan's dresser was a sword. Ryan had taken martial arts in his teenage years, and had excelled far beyond his classmates in Haidong Gumdo, a Korean form of martial arts that was done completely with a sword. In fact, he had excelled so much that his teacher had taken him to Korea to study with the Grand Masters.

There, Ryan had been presented with a golden sword. It was not made entirely of gold, of course, but the blade had been painted a golden color. The paint used had real gold dust mixed into it.

"This is my last hope," Malchior breathed, taking the sword down from its mounts. "After the unfortunate incident with the golden bullet, this is the purest gold I can get my hands on. Please, father, let it be enough."

- - - - -

The minutes dragged on like hours for Raven. Gar's breathing had slowed, and no matter what she held to his wound in an effort to stop the bleeding, the blood had soaked through. Her hands were now covered in the sticky, red substance, and there were streaks across her face from the times she had wiped away her tears.

She kept whispering to Gar, begging him to hold on, to keep fighting. She had no idea if he could hear her or not, but she couldn't bear to keep quiet. Her voice shook from crying.

Beside her, Jinx was still telling everyone the entire story. Raven had never seen so many people with livid expressions on their faces. The only thing she could compare it to was the incident at the dance, which seemed so very long ago. Except this time, there were three people that had been seriously hurt, one who might slip away in front of her very eyes.

"Please stay with me, Garfield," Raven was pressing a piece of the tablecloth on Gar's wound, hoping that this time the bleeding might stop, if only by a little.

"Raven," Raven looked up from Gar's wound to see Jinx pointing towards the building. She followed Jinx's arm to see Malchior running out the front door, a sword clasped in his hands.

"Oh my God," Raven breathed. "He's coming to kill Gar!"

"Not if we can help it," Robin was staring at Malchior with a scowl on his face. As he said this, he walked in front of Raven and Gar, facing Malchior. He was joined by Vic, Garth, and Roy. Kori stood by Robin's shoulder, biting her lip nervously. Bea was next to Kori, also looking scared. Kole was sitting with Angela and Jinx's mother, who had not noticed Malchior.

"You all stay back," Robin stepped forward held out his arms, blocking everyone from following.

"But Robin," Kori started, but Robin cut her off.

"Kori, I can do this," Robin turned to give her a reassuring smile. "I can't count how many times Master Wilson's run at me with a rubber knife. Malchior holding a sword will be a piece of cake. He's not even holding it right."

Malchior was only feet away when Robin acted. He bent his knees into a fighting stance, holding his hands in front of him, ready. As Raven watched Malchior run towards them, she thought she noticed a look of fear pass across his face as he caught sight of Robin.

"Leave them alone, Malchior," Robin shouted. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You can't possibly hurt me!" Malchior tried to sound confident, but there definitely was a shake in his voice. "My father has faith in me. I must not fail him."

Angela, Kole, and Jinx's mother had all caught sight of Malchior now, and the three of them came rushing over. Angela yelled, "Malchior, what are you doing?" as she came.

Malchior ignored Angela's question and lunged at Robin. Robin sprang to the side, as if he was standing on springs, and grabbed Malchior's right elbow. He sank into a front stance, and pulled Malchior by the elbow away from the group of people. Malchior tried to turn at hit Robin with the sword, but Robin caught his other arm, and crossed them.

"Why are you doing this?" Robin asked.

"It is destiny," Malchior growled at him. "I am meant to kill Logan. I am meant to marry Rae. I am meant to rule over my father's kingdom."

"You're insane," Robin shook his head, twisting Malchior's arms further. He let his grip on Malchior's arms slacken, and moved his hands to Malchior's wrists. He then pushed back on his hands as hard as he could, forcing the sword out of Malchior's hand.

The golden sword fell to the ground with a clang. And as it did so, everyone turned to watch a car pull up into the parking lot. No one's eyes left the car as the door opened, and Ryan stepped out.

"Malchior?"

His eyes traveled from his son, who was still in Robin's grasp, to Angela, who was shaking her head in disappointment at him, to the six teenagers on the ground, one of whom looked dead.

"What happened?"

But no one was able to answer his question, for at that moment, siren blaring, an ambulance pulled up to the apartment building and three people jumped out, pulling a stretcher with them.

* * *

**PS. I'll be on Harry Potter overload for the next... -counts- 15 or so days, so don't expect an update soon. I'll be too excited for the movie/book to concentrate on this fic. Not only do I work at a bookstore, but I'm in charge of the midnight party, so I've got a TON to do!! I don't want to let my boss down. We're gonna have the best Harry Potter party ever:)**


	19. A note to the readers

_I really hate to do this... but I am._

_You know the drill: writer's block, inspiration striking elsewhere, loss of interest, and finally abandonment. Yes, I have come to that dreaded decision. I will no longer be updating this story. Ever. Sorry... but I just wrote myself into a corner with this one, and unfortunately Kid Flash isn't available to vibrate his molecules through to save me._

_BUT... (and it is a big but...t haha, i'm mature...) somewhere in the abyss that is my room I tucked away an outline planning the story from beginning to end. I just can't write it all out for some reason. And it's not for lack of trying either! I must have written the next chapter five times by now and deleted it almost seconds after. So, if anyone wants to try their hand at finishing this monster of a story, send me either an email or a PM. Please don't ask me in a review; I won't answer there. If more than one person wants to try it (haha, as if... it's bad enough that I'm hoping one person will take this up...), then I guess I'll just read some of your stuff and pick the person whose writing style I like best._

_So apologies all around, hugs to all who added this to their favorites/alerts, and Kid Flash plushies to all reviewers!! I love you all!_

_Effie (which isn't my real name, but I go by it now anyway...)_


	20. The End!

_Hi, this is SiriusBlaak's brother. I'm writing the story now._

_But don't tell my sister._

* * *

Everyone was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. Raven was on edge, biting her lip nervously, while Robin sat next to her muttering, "Angst. Angst. Angst." Raven frowned at him, annoyed.  
Unfortunately for everyone waiting around, nothing was getting accomplished at the hospital. Nobody was taking care of Gar and none of the other patients were getting any attention. Then, all of a sudden, in a flash of light, it was GOTH BOY TO THE RESCUE!!  
Goth Boy burst into the hospital, and, seeing the group of teenagers moping around, asked them what the problem was. Raven pointed wordlessly down the hallway where they had taken Gar, and Goth Boy took off running.  
He barfed up on Gar, and his barf made Gar all better. Yay!!  
Then Goth Boy took over the world and everyone lived happily ever after. THE END...?


End file.
